A Patient Lady

Made during the COVID-19 pandemic, this self-portrait depicts the artist wearing a nun’s habit. Seated and barefoot, she contemplates existence and waits for change to come.  Schaechter was directly inspired by a famous portrait by Hans Holbein, A Lady with a Squirrel and a Starling, in the collection of the National Gallery in London. As in Holbein’s painting, the oak branch with acorns is an element for symbolic contemplation, representing potential and kind of the strength that comes from patient, slow growth.

After graduating with a BFA from the Rhode Island School of Design in 1983, Schaechter moved to Philadelphia. A renowned glass artist, she taught at the University of the Arts until its recent closure. She has exhibited widely and received many prestigious awards, including the Smithsonian Visionary Award in 2024. 

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