In his art, Maurice Schmidt produces images of everyday life. He is attracted to simple scenes, quiet humanity and nature. To Build and Plant is naturalistic. One may contemplate and admire To Build and Plant for its color, form, and composition. However, this work, with its bold color and expressive strokes, is also rich with religious meaning according to Schmidt, a devout Jew. Schmidt writes, “In a tradition that observes the ordinary, an act of farming routine, the mere turning of a great machine can become a messenger of the innate holiness possible in daily tasks.”

Schmidt was born and raised in New Braunfels. In 1957, Schmidt took courses at the Institute of Art at San Miguel de Allende in Mexico. He earned his BFA from the University of Texas at Austin and his MFA from Cranbrook Academy of Art. From 1965 until 2002, he served as a professor of art at Texas A&M University Kingsville. He has also worked as an art critic and lecturer.