Christine Joy Swanson
I often tell my students that the greatest task an artist takes on is learning how to see. This is something I have discovered in my own life and in learning how to paint. Many of my paintings have been created en plein air. This way of painting has many exciting challenges - from the changing light or shifting weather in a landscape, to the peculiar nature of flowers and how they keep moving to face the light, even after they are picked! These challenges are what make painting from life so interesting to me.
I began learning to paint in the many hours a chronic illness provided me as a child and young adult. My grandmother, Norma Peterson, was my first teacher and greatest encouragement. She was the living example of how to make beauty in the middle of pain and hardship. We painted together nearly every day, and eventually it became my full time work and passion.
After receiving a BFA in fine art from George Fox in 2014, I continued my learning through studying under other master oil painters whom I admire. Working predominantly in oils, I paint alla prima, playing with the styles of impressionism and classical realism. I've had the great privilege of traveling the world - learning, teaching, and painting across America, Europe, Israel, Nicaragua, Haiti. I am certain that learning and inspiration never ends for an artist! Currently I teach painting classes at the Chehalem Cultural Center in Oregon's beautiful wine country. I enjoy watching others begin their own journey of creating.
I feel so fortunate to live in the Pacific Northwest, where all I have to do is walk out my front door or go for a short drive to find such an abundance of natural beauty. As an Oregonian I am particularly drawn to the natural world and its wilder spaces for my painting inspiration. As many have said before me, art imitates life. I've found this to be true in my experience of seeking painting inspiration, as the subject matter in my pieces entirely reflect what I love most in life. Aside from painting, I love gardening, hiking, kayaking, and watching sunrises. I am obsessed with light and its marvelous effect on the world. An ordinary tree becomes something of magic once the sun shines through it at the most golden hours of the day.
While I may not be doing anything new, per se, when it comes to my painting style in the larger art world, I am one of the few people in my generation and in this age who are continuing the long arduous task of training the eye and creating traditionally handcrafted paintings - only using paint, brushes, and canvas. I have found myself in a world filled with technology and shortcuts in the making of art, but I am one of the few crazy ones who still paints in the old fashioned way - drawing and painting directly from life. I am proud to carry the torch of so many incredible artists before me who did this very same thing.
Painting continues to help me see more fully the beauty and fragility of this beautiful earth home in which we all live. It has helped me to see meaning, even hope, in the midst of hardship. I am curious and excited to see what else art will show me in the years to come!
