The following excerpt is from an autobiographical statement Schneeman wrote in 2007 on the occasion of an exhibition at the Instituto Italiano di Cultura: I began painting, oddly enough, while on active duty in the U.S. Army, in Verona, Italy, 1958.
Shortly thereafter I married [Katie Schneeman], was discharged from the service, and moved with my wife to rural Tuscany, where I remained for seven years, painting landscapes and figures.
In Italy I eked out a living giving English lessons and teaching Italian and Art History to American colleges groups in Siena.
[2] In Italy, Schneeman had met Renzo Sommaruga, a well known Italian artist who lived in Verona and with whom was born a deep and lasting friendship and with whom he shared the passion for painting and poetry.
Scheenman's artwork has been featured on Comes Through in the Call Hold, a recording with Clark Coolidge, Anne Waldman, and Thurston Moore, released by Fast Speaking Music.
As Art in America has noted, Schneeman was largely self-taught, and though his work was critically well received, he never experienced sustained commercial success during his life.
[6] The poet Ron Padgett, a friend and long-time collaborator, has written of Schneeman's art that, "It is beautiful – mild, balanced, well-drawn, firm, straightforward, and sometimes serene.