Obituary of Carl Andrew Schoenberger

Carl Andrew Schoenberger died Tuesday morning, December 27, 2011 at his home in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. A time of visitation will be held on December 31st from 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM at Walker's Funeral Home in Chapel Hill. A memorial service and celebration will be held on Sunday, January 1st, from 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM at Carl's home and studio, 302 Ferguson Road, Chapel Hill, NC 27516. Carl is survived by his spouse of 27 years, Jack Benson; sister, Chris of Mt. Airy, Maryland; brother, Clifford of Columbia, Maryland; brother, Craig of Grand Prairie, Texas. Carl was born an artist, and made the process of making art a part of his life since the first time he held a crayon. As a child Carl enjoyed drawing, and soon found he was really good at "art stuff." Carl sold his first painting at the age of 16. In 1979 Carl received a BA in Studio Art from the University of Maryland, and in 2004 received a Master of Fine Arts in Ceramics from The George Washington University in Washington, DC. Carl was an extraordinary versatile artist, working in technical illustration, display, portraiture, freelance illustration, pottery, and ceramic sculpture. Carl also taught art and clay classes on the college level, and had a gift for teaching, using humor and insight to nurture his students in their artistic pursuits, and, on occasion, in the quality of their lives. In 2007 Carl relocated to Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and established his own studio. Carl built a website www.carlschoenberger.com, created a DVD of his ceramic sculptures, and in 2010 developed a promotional program, personally contacting more than 250 galleries in the United States and Canada. Carl often said his greatest artistic influences were not the normal great names of art history, but, instead, were Walt Disney and John Waters. Carl's art brought to the world humor and playfulness, and his life a gentle and sweet beauty.