On display in the hallway gallery of Central Bank of Boone County
February 17 - March 20, 2026
Artist Statement
This body of work begins long before the visible layers.
Each painting starts with words — phrases, questions, fragments of thought written directly onto the surface. They are not meant to be fully seen. They exist as the foundation, shaping movement, color, and composition from underneath. Writing becomes a way of processing ideas — turning over concepts like forgiveness, balance, light, tension, patience, joy — and allowing them to settle into form rather than remain abstract.
The paintings evolve intuitively from there. I respond to what is happening on the canvas; adding, obscuring, softening, disrupting. Layers are built, some are covered, some re-emerge subtly through texture and transparency. The color palettes and gestural marks are often influenced by my love of the outdoors, such as shifting light, open space, horizon lines, movement in water and wind, and the tiniest details in the bark of a tree or wings of a dragonfly. Small mixed media elements, including torn papers or occasional dried paint fragments from my paint palette, are integrated when they serve the composition, but the driving force is always the idea beneath the surface.
I’m interested in the space between control and release. Between bold movement and quiet restraint. Between what is written and what is felt.
These works invite viewers to engage slowly — to sense that something exists underneath the color, even if it cannot be fully read. The process mirrors how we carry meaning in our own lives: not everything is visible, but everything shapes us.
This collection is ultimately about layered understanding — the way ideas evolve, soften, strengthen, and transform as we live with them. Each painting holds both the question and the becoming.
Each painting comes with a certificate of authentication with that hidden message from the first layer included on the certificate.
Artist Bio
Rhonda Schrage is a mixed media abstract artist who has worked full-time as a professional artist for the past decade. She earned a degree in business and began her career in real estate underwriting before leaving the corporate world to pursue painting full-time. What began as a creative outlet steadily evolved into a sustained studio practice and a growing collector base. Schrage’s work has been recognized with honors, including Best of Category at the Fairview Heights festival, and has been included in both solo and group exhibitions in the Columbia and Springfield area, and is held in private collections across the United States. She has worked from home for the past 10 years and recently opened a studio in Jefferson City, MO, where she continues to develop new bodies of work while building a career grounded in both creative exploration and entrepreneurial experience.
