Featuring “BRUSH WITH THE WILD”
Where: 824 S 400 W, Suite B113 (ground-level of Artspace Commons, 400 West street-side), Salt Lake City
When: Friday, February 15, 6:00-9:00 pm
ARTIST’S STATEMENT
Here in Utah, the undisturbed land starkly reminds us of what used to be in abundance. The teeming mountains, the expectant deserts, the rushing rivers or dripping seeps, the clear skies, the puzzled geology all attest to the beauty we take for granted. It is a reminder of something important, something that speaks to us, something that is vanishing. Our attention is arrested by the sensual experience of nature. That is why I live in Utah and that is why I started painting. Outdoor trips with my husband and daughter made me want to capture those awestruck moments to share with others. I started painting 10 years ago but have a lifetime of images to share already. We continue to spend time outside the city, looking for solace is nature’s treasures and there are no disappointments in the places we go.
BIOGRAPHY
I graduated from the University of Delaware with a major in Home Economics and a minor in design. I spent a semester at the Fashion Institute of Technology in Manhattan but the reality of making a living took precedence and it wasn’t for more than two decades that I serendipitously started taking a watercolor class from a neighbor. That spark rekindled the flame of watercolor painting that I had experienced as a teenager.
Although I haven’t pursued formal art education, I have had the opportunity to learn from artists locally and nationally through the workshops sponsored by the Utah Watercolor Society. Judy Morris, Brenda Swenson, Linda Kemp, Sterling Edwards, Carla O’Conner and my longtime teacher Marian Dunn have brought me farther than I thought myself capable. My learning comes not only from others but from myself as well, and that keeps me returning to the easel and starting again.
ENJOY THE SHOW!
BESSANN SWANSON
Utah Art and Environment Collaborative 