About Olaf
Spreading Love and Joy is not a part time job.
Canadian fine artist Olaf Schneider creates luminous oil paintings that celebrate landscape, light, and atmosphere.
About Olaf
In his own words
For me, painting begins in that fleeting instant when light breaks open a scene—when a place, a feeling, and a memory quietly converge and ask to be preserved before they disappear.
I believe that light has the power to transform an ordinary moment into something unforgettable. Whether I am painting a quiet shoreline, a winding country road, reflections moving across still water, or the unmistakable form of a classic automobile or race car, my intention is always the same: to create a painting that invites people to slow down, breathe deeply, and rediscover the beauty that surrounds them.
My artistic journey has been shaped by decades of craftsmanship, beginning with large-scale outdoor advertising billboard work and evolving into a lifelong dedication to realism in oil painting. Every brushstroke reflects patience, discipline, and close observation. Yet technical skill is only the foundation. The true purpose of my work is to create an emotional connection with you the viewer.
I hope my paintings awaken memories of places once visited, inspire dreams of places yet to be explored, and remind collectors of the peace, hope, and wonder found in the natural world.
A great painting should continue to reveal itself over time. It should become part of a family’s story, be passed from one generation to the next, and remain a lasting reminder that beauty has the power to enrich our lives.
That is the legacy I strive to create with every painting.
Philosophy
Art is a celebration of life, and the making of art is an expression of the sacred spiritual discipline. If a painting could, for a moment, capture the attention and awareness of the viewer through visual harmony, carry on a dialogue, bring the viewer further than the call of the senses, beyond a momentary concern for the past or future, to a timeless state free from thought and self consciousness. Then the work has approached the realm of art, the realm of life.
Olaf Schneider is an internationally collected Canadian fine artist whose distinguished career reflects an unwavering pursuit of technical excellence and artistic authenticity. For more than forty years, he has dedicated himself to mastering the interplay of light, atmosphere, and colour, creating museum-quality oil paintings that resonate with collectors seeking timeless beauty and enduring craftsmanship. His work has been exhibited in juried and invitational exhibitions across Canada and has received recognition in regional and national art competitions celebrating excellence in realism and landscape painting.
Olaf’s artistic foundation was forged on a monumental scale as a billboard painter across North America, where precision, discipline, and confidence became second nature. That extraordinary experience evolved into a celebrated fine art career characterized by refined realism and an unmistakable sensitivity to light. Over time, his work has been represented through select gallery exhibitions and featured in curated shows that highlight contemporary Canadian realism.
Each painting is created with meticulous attention to every brushstroke, inviting viewers into moments of serenity, nostalgia, and emotional connection. Whether depicting tranquil shorelines, majestic landscapes, dramatic automotive subjects, or intimate still lifes, Olaf’s work transcends representation to capture the feeling of a place and the memories it inspires.
His paintings are held in private, corporate, and institutional collections across Canada, the United States, and Europe, and have been acquired for both private residences and professional environments seeking original, enduring works of art. For Olaf, every painting is more than a work of art—it is a lasting legacy and an invitation to celebrate the extraordinary beauty found in the everyday world.
Professional Experience
Education
Sheridan College, Ontario College of Art, Academy of Realist Art Toronto. Long time mentor and friend Ron Grieg and various private workshops and numerous books including artists Burton Silverman, Daniel Greene.
Olaf Schneider’s early career began in billboard painting, creating large-scale works for highways and building facades across Canada and the United States. Beginning in 1986 with Mediacom Outdoor Advertising, a respected company in the industry, Olaf spent years producing striking hand-painted billboards and commercial pictorials.
His work later expanded to massive building murals and large-scale advertising campaigns in major North American cities. This demanding field required technical skill, precision, and endurance, as Olaf operated booms, swing stages, and scissor lifts, and painted from scaffolding in challenging weather conditions throughout the year. These experiences helped shape his strong command of scale, composition, realism, colour, and visual impact.
During his honeymoon in 2003, Olaf began exploring new artistic subjects. He turned his attention to landscapes and experimented with still life compositions, incorporating elements such as flowers, marbles, and glass to create depth and visual intrigue. These works marked a shift toward a more intimate and reflective style, while retaining the attention to detail and dynamic presence that defined his earlier large-scale work.
Olaf has continued to develop a diverse body of oil paintings, including rain scenes, portraits of Indigenous children, cottage country landscapes, waterscapes, cityscapes, and many private commissions. One of Olaf’s pieces hangs in the Louvre in Paris, France.
Publications
2020 International Artist Magazine
- Second place winner July 2020, of the Art Prize Challenge 133
2019 Colour and Form Society 67th Annual Juried Competition
- Winner of first prize
2015 Woodbine Raceway Grand Prize Winner
- Winner of the first art competition for the Queen’s Plate
2014 Exposition Internationale D’Art Contemporain
- Diploma of Honour for painting competition in Cannes, France
2013 Holly Jones Memorial Portrait
- Large mural commissioned by the City of Toronto
commemorating a 10-year old female murder victim, Holly Jones
2013 Toronto Ripley’s Aquarium Mural
Created three large murals of jellyfish and stingrays
2009 Interior Design Show (IDS) Mercedes Benz Mural
- Completed a live painting of a new 2009 vehicle during the IDS
2008 Haven on the Queensway
- Mural for a Toronto out reach centre
2007, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2017, 2019 published by Ducks Unlimite
- Printed portfolio of paintings to convey nature conservation
2007 Business Improvement Area Mural Symposium
- Group of Seven Reproduction of Tom Thompson's painting in Huntsville, Ontario
2005 People and Figures Book Volume 2 coffee table book
Solo Exhibitions
2023 - Westmount Gallery, Toronto
2022 - Jessel Gallery Napa, California
2019 - Jessel Gallery Napa, California
2019 - Rendezvous Gallery, Vancouver, BC
2018 - Jessel Gallery, Napa, California
2017 - Westmount Gallery, Toronto
2016 - Tilting at Windmills Gallery, Vermont
2016 - Broadway Galleries - Alexandria, Virginia
2015 - Westmount Gallery, Toronto, Ontario
2015 - Woodbine Raceway, Toronto, Ontario
2015 - CBC - Context Show, Toronto, Ontario
2005 - 2014 - Westmount Gallery, Ontario, Toronto
2014 - the Louvré, Paris, France
2014 - Cannes, France
2012 - Galerie Christin, Ontario, Toronto
2011 - Royal Gallery, Providence, Rhode Island
2009 - Mercedes Benz - Mississauga, Ontario
2009 - Homer Watson Gallery, Ontario
Group Exhibitions
2026 - Napa Artist Peace Alliance Show
2025 - CONTEXT Art Miami - AQUA Art Miami - Miami, Florida.
2025 - Halton Hills Helson Gallery, Georgetown, ON
2025 - Oil Painters of America - Beverly McNeil Gallery. Birmingham, Alabama.
2022 - 2025 Summer and Grace Gallery, Oakville, Ontario
2019 - Colour and Form Society 67th Winner First Prize
2018 - 2025 Emma Butler Gallery, NFLD.
2019 - Jessel Gallery Napa, CA.
2017 - 2020 Rendezvous Gallery, Vancouver, B.C.
2017 - Emma Butler Gallery, NFLD. Canada
2017 - Lovett's Gallery, Tulsa, Oklahoma
2006 - 2016 - Westmount Gallery, Toronto, Canada
2014 - Chapel St. Bernardin, Le Cannet, France
2014 - Le Cannet, Provence-Alpes-Cote D'Azur, France
2013 - 2014 Louvre, Paris, France
2009 - 2013 - Edgewood Orchard Gallery, WI.
2012 - The Connecticut Society of Portrait Artists
2012 - Portrtait Society of America
2011 - Thornwood Art Gallery - Houston, Texas
2010 - 2013 Toronto International Art Fair
2010 - 2015 Canadian Heritage Art Gallery
2005 - 2014 - Westmount Gallery, Toronto
2009 - Boston International Art Fair
2007 - Scottsdale Art Gallery - Arizona
2006 - 2011 Kipling Gallery Woodbridge, Ontario
2006 - Manitou Gallery, Santa Fe, NM
2006 - Latino America International
2004 - 2006 Todmorden Mills Heritage Museum
2002 - 2005 - Hummingbird Centre, Toronto
2000 - Living Arts Centre, Mississauga
1998 - 2002 Molson Indy - Toronto / Vancouver
Memberships
