Palm Beach Society: Painting from the Soul
January 2012
At Art Palm Beach January 19-23, Michael James Fine Art will present recent paintings by the acclaimed abstract expressionist artist Susan Swartz, whose works were featured this past summer at the National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington DC.
Passionate about the environment, and eager to use her art and resources to sound an alarm about the fragility of the planet we inhabit, Susan Swartz is known for the potent colors she uses to create richly layered canvases of Vineyard seascapes and Utah’s awe inspiring Wasatch Mountains.
Susan Swartz says, “I first got to know the National Museum of Women in the Arts shortly after it opened nearly 25 years ago. On that first visit, I remember thinking ‘maybe someday my work will be here…’ It’s an incredible privilege now to have had my paintings at what is really the first place dedicated to promoting and honoring women artists. Founder Billie Holladay and the NMWA really were the pioneers in giving equal footing to women artists. Such profound institutional support allows us to dream and inspires us to persevere.”
Dr. Susan Fisher Sterling, the Director of the National Museum of Women in the Arts, has said Susan Swartz’s abstract landscapes “pulsate with color and simultaneously articulate her awe of the natural world and her rallying cry for its preservation.”
Gallery director Michael James of Michael James Fine Art says, “Susan’s paintings have developed enormous vitality and strength in recent years as she was challenged by two serious environmentally-bred illnesses. There is no middle ground to someone like Susan who has fought so hard to regain her health. She is a master at conveying the inherent connection between her art, the natural world, and her deep spirituality. Her personal experiences fighting both mercury poisoning and Lyme disease forced her to use her painting talent to alert others to the need to protect and preserve the world we share.”
Susan Swartz paintings are in private and corporate collections in the US, the UK, and Japan. She was featured as the 2002 Winter Olympic’s Environmental Artist and her works are in museum collections at the Springville Museum of Art in Utah; the George Eccles 2002 Olympic Winter Games Museum; US National Ski Hall of Fame & Museum in Lausanne, Switzerland.
A. Scott Anderson, President and Chief Executive Officer of Zion’s First National Bank says, “I collect the paintings of Susan Swartz because they inspire, nourish, and enlighten me. I thrill in their beauty. While they have a calming influence, overcoming the noise of the day; they test the envelope of human creativity, intellect, energy, and promise. I believe Susan is a wonderfully gifted artist, whose works hold a mirror to nature and then captivate us with color and style. Susan is a powerful artist because her work moves us; in her paintings, we see her soul in her works and her love of the earth. There is not another artist that I would rather collect or whose paintings I would rather have hanging in my home or office.”
Susan Swartz is included in the book Painters of the Wasatch Mountains together with Thomas Moran, Albert Bierstadt, HLA Culmer, and Maynard Dixon. Her book Natural Revelations: The Art of Susan Swartz was awarded a bronze medal at the 12th Annual Independent Book Publisher Awards.
Susan Swartz says, “I am committed to celebrating the natural world on my canvases, but I feel its not enough. That’s why I’ve become so involved with environmentalists like Dr. Jane Goodall and Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. They are both innovative and effective activists and I’m honored to be able to help their causes.”
Dr. Jane Goodall wrote the conclusion for Susan’s book, and among her comments she said, “Susan Swartz shares my concern for the future of life on this planet. Each of her paintings richly illustrates the beauty of our world—from snow-covered slopes to rustic vineyards and country gardens. This exquisite art will appeal to everyone who loves nature and will bring the beauty into the homes of those who live in the city.”
Dr. Jane Goodall wrote the conclusion for Susan’s book, and among her comments she said, “Susan Swartz shares my concern for the future of life on this planet. Each of her paintings richly illustrates the beauty of our world—from snow-covered slopes to rustic vineyards and country gardens. This exquisite art will appeal to everyone who loves nature and will bring the beauty into the homes of those who live in the city.”
To further support their beliefs, Susan and her husband Jim Swartz have contributed to Impact Partners which works to produce documentaries by those who share their focus on injustice and the environment. The couple is active at the Sundance Film Festival where six films they supported were shown in 2011. Among the documentaries they have lent support to, two have won Academy Awards, including Born Into Brothels (2005) and The Cove (2010).
Viewing of Susan Swartz paintings will be January 20th-22nd, 2 -7pm and until 6pm on the 23rd with a Preview January 19th at the Palm Beach County Convention Center.