SCHOENFELDER

There were many amateur painters from early Amana. The original colonists were comprised of artisans and farmers from Germany, a very create group inspired by the unique architecture and landscapes of Ebenezer NY and the Amana villages. This scenery was very conducive to create paintings. One such artist, George Schoenfelder was born in 1907, a carpenter by trade, had many interests. He painted mainly through the winter months and managed to produce 36 paintings in oil, his favorite medium. He painted many people and scenes of Amana, where he lived until 1987 with his wife , Elizabeth. George was one of the last who attended one of the famous Grant Wood' s Stone City workshops in the early 1930's. His first painting, "Mohi" (1935), was a still life of an overturned basket of potatoes and strongly influenced by Wood. The photo below is of a painting George did of a community kitchen where his wife's grandmother worked. It was a gift to her on their first Christmas as a married couple. It is owned by a local antique shop, Amana Colonies Antiques, possibly called "Community Kitchen".