About the Artist:
By day, Dr. Schoenfeld is an Epidemiologist, on faculty at a medical school in the New York Metropolitan Area.  A graduate of Stony Brook University and the University of Buffalo, she currently resides in New York City.  Growing up she was afforded the opportunity to participate in many art honors programs in the public schools.  Her paintings were exhibited at Lever House and the Bloomingdales Clothes Line Show.  She was a photographer for her high school and college year books, has participated in the LI Camera Club, and has won awards for her black and white photography.  Adopting cutting edge technology comes naturally to Dr. Schoenfeld including adopting acrylic canvas and aluminum mounts to her photographic style.  These media are available directly from Elke Images.  Dr. Schoenfeld is currently a member of the BJ Spoke Gallery in Huntington, NY where her current work is on view and available for purchase.  Giclee prints are available through LIGiclee in Freeport, NY.

Personal Statement

I once heard someone say that the brain captures images like a camera and can play them back over time.  If this is true I have millions of photographs I carry around in my head and visualize potential new photographs in both color and black and white all the time.

I was given my first camera at the age of 5 with picture taking always an event.  These photos remain some of my most precious possessions though many heads and feet are cut off and buildings are falling off the page.  My technique has advanced some since those first images.  From these first experiences, I learned to appreciate how a print image is able to capture a special moment in time, to be returned to whenever you want.  Photography has continued to maintain a very special place in my life.  I met my husband Eric in a photography class when he asked me “what my meter reading was. Since our uniting, he continues to serve as my inspiration and motivation for my creativity.

Photography provides me a means of expressing myself and the beauty of the world when my own life and the world around me may not seem so beautiful.  For the past 17 years I have lived with chronic pain and disability following an injury and then a car accident.  The camera has remained my friend and companion.  Each time I have trouble getting out of bed, my physician and my therapists encourage me to go take pictures and to see the world. For many years, my mom and I traveled the world, camera in hand, to document our accomplishments, and fight off the evil that is pain.  My husband and mom continue to encourage my photograph taking as motivation to keep me moving.  Many of the photographs I display are a testament to my determination and drive to live a full and active life in spite of pain, limitations and many setbacks.

Through the lens of the camera I have been able to save special moments in time and revisit them when pain is so intense that the world does not seem a beautiful place.  My family has made a healing project of photography.  Sharing my photographs with others has provided comfort and strength at times when they need a little extra lift to get through the day, a difficult time in their lives, or an illness.  We wish to share this warm comforting feeling that my photographs portray with others, and hope that everyone who views them will take comfort and inspiration from these images of the world around us.

I learned many of my creative skills from my parents.  My father was partner for over 50 years in the textile firm Schoenfeld Brothers based in New York.  My mother Helen is a very skilled fashion and interior designer as well, having created many one-of-a-kind hand made items.  In addition she has taught many hand crafts including sewing, knitting, crocheting, tatting, and embroidery.  I also specialize in creations using photography, knitting, crocheting, semi-precious stones, wood, metal, and polymer clay.  I never know what other media will be included next.