Schliebitz left Ireland for London in 2007. She painted in her studio in Dalston for two  years, before moving south of the River to Peckham where she painted in the spare room  of her flat. In London Schliebitz’ paintings became more dramatic and she began to include references to architectural structures. She completed a series of paintings depicting world’s in flux. Schliebitz became increasingly inspired by derelict buildings  and urban decay and began to include figures in her work. 

Conceptually, Schliebitz is among other things, motivated by German Art History with its  expressive routes, as well as contemporary artists who embrace the figurative and celebrate painting, like Neo Rauch, the New Leipzig School and Jonas Burgert.

Drawn to academic study, Schliebitz began post graduate studies in Art History in  Birkbeck, University of London. She completed a Graduate Certificate in the History of Art and Architecture with Distinction and followed this with a Masters in the History of  Art, also at Birkbeck. 

Now married with two young children, Schliebitz lives with her family in Hebden Bridge, an old post-industrial mill town in West Yorkshire.

I work with oil paint on canvas or board mostly and identify myself as a painter. I enjoy the creative process with all its challenges, the mess and often hard-won battles. For me  the act of painting, playing with colour and texture, creating form and meaning and interpreting the world in a playful manner is a satisfying process. 

My work often starts in a visceral way. Paint is applied in thin washes and then layered with palette knives, dripped, splashed and occasionally thrown on. After this I try to impose order and the assembly begins, adding figurative aspects or abstract shapes. The picture evolves depicting a dichotomy between order and chaos. It is the balancing act of these that ultimately leads to a finished work. 

Conceptually I am attracted to worlds in flux, impermanence, and a sense of impending shifts. Also, I like the viewer to be reminded of the medium, paint, which I regard as a subject in the work. Beyond that the iconography belongs to the viewer.  

“Security is mortal’s chiefest enemy.” Studying Macbeth in school, this quote stayed with me. It applies to everyone and society as a whole. It’s a reminder not to become complaisant, too arrogant or too sure of oneself. The current pandemic drives this point home. Things we believed to be solid now appear unstable and have been eroded in no time at all. It reminds us stay vigilant and humble.