Meet local veteran artist Beth Ames Swartz, who has been creating amazing abstract paintings filled with vibrant colors, patterns and textures her style and technique evolving over her 55 years.
Her artworks are feminist in nature while reflecting her interest in the spiritual and demonstrate a highly developed sense of color and texture. Swartz says her work is highly influenced by philosophical systems such as Carl Jung, Alan Watts, Native American cultures and the Cabala. She also employs a variety of imagery, gestural marks, shapes, colors, and words and prefers to work in series. When asked about her artwork Swartz says, that she “explores systems of knowledge by translating philosophical concepts into aesthetic visual experiences.”
She was traditionally educated in women, child development at Cornell and art education at NYU and received lessons at the Art Students’ League. She began her artistic career after moving from New York City to Arizona, feeling a bit displaced with her new environment helped to fuel her early artistic career. Swartz has an extensive resume that includes over 70 solo exhibitions, 3 major traveling museum exhibitions and numerous awards, including the Governor's Individual Artist Award in 2001 in Arizona. Her artwork can be found in many public and private collections including the National Museum of American Art, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the Brooklyn Museum, the Phoenix Art Museum, and the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art.
Next up for Swartz is a special exhibition at The Walter Art Gallery an incredibly unique art installation “A Moving Point of Balance”, which features seven stunning 7x7 foot paintings that present an East Indian chakra. “This installation is both environmental and participatory in nature and chronicles Swartz's experience with the rituals of Native American and East Indian cultures” activating all of the viewers senses. This work originally premiered at The Nickle Arts Museum in 1985 and it went on to tour 9 museums in the United States.
“A Moving Point of Balance” will be open to the public March 11 and 17 from 3pm to 7pm; the artist reception will be held on March 13. The Walter Art Gallery is located at 6425 E. Thomas Road, Scottsdale. Also Swartz will have work included in Feminism Today, a group exhibition that explores generational viewpoints of Feminism through engaging imagery, diverse styles and mediums while examining the many roles we as women play on view at the monOrchid from March 6-28th. For more information about the talented Beth Ames Swartz visit bethamesswartz.com. *Images courtesy of the artist Beth Ames Swartz.
