Susan Swartz Studios is pleased to present Interconnected Forest, an exhibition showcasing one of the major subjects of Swartz's career - trees. Swartz has long been captivated by the monumental beauty of forests, particularly the aspen groves surrounding her Park City home. Her paintings, which pulse with vibrancy and color, simultaneously articulate her awe of the natural world and a rallying cry for its preservation. A fervent environmentalist, Swartz’s art reveals a special connection to the earth and its majesty.
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"I love listening to the stories of trees. In Utah we have aspens we call “Quakies”. They stand firm and tall and have an interconnected root system—we as humans have interconnected root systems and we can stand firm and tall. We need to preserve our natural habitat to preserve ourselves.”
- Susan Swartz
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At the front of the gallery hangs Secluded Woodland 4 and 5. Swartz conveys the spiritual experience and lifeblood surrounding her Park City studio with these large-scale aspen forest paintings. Swartz merges the evolution of her style, drawing aspen trees into striations, highlighting the depth and light between them. The result is a romantic drama that captures the beauty of Utah's aspen groves.
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Secluded Woodland 4, 201972 x 72 in
182.9 x 182.9 cm -
Secluded Woodland 5, 201972 x 72 in
182.9 x 182.9 cm -
Nature's Bouquet 70, 202348 x 24 in
121.9 x 61 cm -
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In The Awakening, Swartz incorporates light as an expressive element that dances on the surface of the canvas, capturing the radiant glow of fall. Alongside hangs a set of three Nature’s Bouquet canvases, each one a confetti of color.
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The Awakening, 200972 x 48 in
182.9 x 121.9 cm -
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Nature's Bouquet 66, 202348 x 24 in
121.9 x 61 cm -
As the title suggests, the Boundless series expresses an acceleration of movement as free-floating flower petals glide across the canvas untethered. With a nod to gestural abstraction, Swartz experiments with depicting energetic movement through blobs and sweeps of paint.
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Boundless 3, 201948 x 72 in
121.9 x 182.9 cm -
In Nature's Bouquet 69, rich purples are energetically applied over an ivory-toned surface. Adjacent, limited edition black and white giclée prints are suspended in front of a raw concrete wall providing natural elegance and serenity.
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Susan's largest piece from the landmark Evolution of Nature series pops next to Natural Flux 102, a painting that is almost entirely white aside from minimal gray accents that highlight the frosty texture.
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Evolution of Nature 25, 202272 x 120 in
182.9 x 304.8 cm -
Natural Flux 102, 201872 x 72 in
182.9 x 182.9 cm -
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The Aspen Touch series is reminiscent of Swartz's traditional landscapes which gained international attention when Swartz was named Official Environmental Artist for the 2002 Olympic Games. In this series, her beloved subject is combined with a contemporary abstract direction of thick, sweeping textures.
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Moonlit Moment, 201260 x 60 in
152.4 x 152.4 cm -
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Afternoon Shadows, 200630 x 30 in
76.2 x 76.2 cm -
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At the back of the gallery hangs Landscape of Resonances 001, a striking work made up of strong vertical striations reflective of Aspen trees. Flanked by two vases, the arrangement finds a perfect balance between the bold and the quiet.
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Landscape of Resonances 001, 201372 x 48 in
182.9 x 121.9 cm -
While the natural world has served as Swartz's artistic inspiration from the start, it has also challenged her in the form of protracted battles with two environmentally-bred illnesses. With a unique resilience, Swartz has turned to her art as a source of healing, redirecting her struggles into a body of work that serves as a wake up call for viewers to notice, appreciate, and preserve the enduring beauty of nature, which can help or harm humankind, oftentimes as a consequence of our own actions.
Swartz's paintings have been featured in major solo exhibitions at Galerie Noack in Berlin; the Central Academy of Fine Arts (CAFA) in Beijing; the Manetti Shrem Museum at UC Davis in California; the Russian State Museum in St. Petersburg; the Ludwig Museum in Budapest; the Ludwig Museum in Koblenz; Kollegienkirche in Salzburg; the National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington, DC; the Utah Museum of Fine Arts in Salt Lake City; and the Springville Museum in Springville, Utah. Her work is featured in numerous private and public collections around the world. She is represented by Jason McCoy Gallery in New York City. Swartz paints from studios in Park City and Martha’s Vineyard.
Visit Susan Swartz Studios at 260 Main Street in Park City, open 12-7PM daily.
