Charlotte Schwartz ’26
Charlotte Schwartz is an artist who specializes in oil painting and ink. She is currently receiving her art education at Lehigh University, where she will graduate in May of 2026 with a major in Studio Arts and a minor in Marketing.
Charlotte grew up in Westfield, New Jersey, where she began taking art classes from a young age. She participated in one-on-one lessons, as well as school-sanctioned courses. Since she was small, she knew the artistic community was where she belonged. Her interest in the arts has manifested itself professionally, as well. She has worked as a Curatorial Intern with the Galleries at Kean University, and is currently a Curatorial Assistant with Amie Potsic Art Advisory, LLC, based out of Philadelphia. Charlotte is also an artist by commission in her spare time.
Although her work has been featured in numerous shows throughout her artistic career, INHABIT is Charlotte’s first entirely solo exhibition. The show consists of 13 paintings total, all executed using oil paint on canvas.
This image depicts the series of oil paintings I created while abroad in Florence, Italy. There are three separate pieces within this series, all of which possess a similar subject matter and color palette. The subject contains elements of abroad that I collected, such as tags, receipts, or pamphlets that are combined with images of myself from when I was younger. The juxtaposition between the “now and then” paints a picture of the role of memory and growth in the human experience. The negative spaces left behind by the tape pieces also contribute to this theme. My goal was to explore the relationship between remembering our past and exploring our future, striving to give both the energy they deserve.
INHABIT serves to represent both the tangible and the intangible. I have, from memory alone, recreated nine rooms on canvas that I have occupied throughout my life, all of which have played some role in allowing me to become who I am now. The color choices, subject matter, and perspective of each of these works are exactly the same. This consistency is broken up by four smaller pieces that experiment with a darker palette, looser brush, and more subjective themes. These four works, although small, represent the looming presence of obsessive compulsive disorder in my day to day existence. As I have grown, I’ve begun to realize that this balance of feeling as though I am constantly in two spaces at once is not the burden I once thought it was, but rather a gift. What a privilege to have observed myself, both inside and out, as I’ve grown up in the places I call home.
Element features two self portraits, both created using watercolor and graphite. Each portrait depicts myself posed at my easel, in the process of painting. I created these works in order to pay homage to my identity as an artist. I wanted to capture myself in my element, using my art as a method of doing so.