Artist Statement and Bio TRISH SHWART
ARTIST STATEMENT
In my paintings I create an otherworld where I explore my conflicting feelings about my relationship with nature and the knowledge that my society is putting the natural world at risk. My work investigates the permeable boundaries between what I see, who I am and what I feel. The paintings are a blend of memories, dreams, and real-world experiences.
In the book The Overstay by Richard Powers a character, modelled on Dr. Suzanne Simard of UBC, uncovers the connections and communications that take place between trees in a forest. She proposes that forests are social, cooperative creatures connected through underground networks. Trees communicate their needs and support each other in ways previously unimagined. This concept makes so much sense. When out hiking or painting, I experience an internal expansion that changes my brain. Thoughts of “need to do” disappear and are replaced by a sense of joining with the natural world. My own nature connects with the nature of the earth.
Since the start of the pandemic, I have been painting en plein air and that time in nature comes back into the studio with me, energizing my work in unexpected ways. The paintings reflect my rational hope for a world in which we value the wisdom and intelligence of the natural world.
“To love a place is not enough. We must find ways to heal it.”
Robin Wall Kimmerer
ARTIST BIO
Trish Shwart’s recent work focuses on the connection she feels with the natural world, while acknowledging that she is part of a society that threatens it. The climate emergency is a very real consideration in her work. Her interior architecture experience developed an interest in ‘place’ which continues to be central in her art practice. She is a graduate of the University of Manitoba (Gold Medal) and the Emily Carr College of Art (Helen Pitt Award). Shwart has shown her work across Canada and in Australia. She has been actively involved in Victoria artist-run centres such as Open Space and X-changes Gallery.
In my paintings I create an otherworld where I explore my conflicting feelings about my relationship with nature and the knowledge that my society is putting the natural world at risk. My work investigates the permeable boundaries between what I see, who I am and what I feel. The paintings are a blend of memories, dreams, and real-world experiences.
In the book The Overstay by Richard Powers a character, modelled on Dr. Suzanne Simard of UBC, uncovers the connections and communications that take place between trees in a forest. She proposes that forests are social, cooperative creatures connected through underground networks. Trees communicate their needs and support each other in ways previously unimagined. This concept makes so much sense. When out hiking or painting, I experience an internal expansion that changes my brain. Thoughts of “need to do” disappear and are replaced by a sense of joining with the natural world. My own nature connects with the nature of the earth.
Since the start of the pandemic, I have been painting en plein air and that time in nature comes back into the studio with me, energizing my work in unexpected ways. The paintings reflect my rational hope for a world in which we value the wisdom and intelligence of the natural world.
“To love a place is not enough. We must find ways to heal it.”
Robin Wall Kimmerer
ARTIST BIO
Trish Shwart’s recent work focuses on the connection she feels with the natural world, while acknowledging that she is part of a society that threatens it. The climate emergency is a very real consideration in her work. Her interior architecture experience developed an interest in ‘place’ which continues to be central in her art practice. She is a graduate of the University of Manitoba (Gold Medal) and the Emily Carr College of Art (Helen Pitt Award). Shwart has shown her work across Canada and in Australia. She has been actively involved in Victoria artist-run centres such as Open Space and X-changes Gallery.