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.
Dr. Suzanne Simard of UBC, has uncovered 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 resonates with me. When out hiking or doing plein air 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.
Time is embedded in the landscape. Elements change slowly (the way a tree grows) and there are also large overwhelming changes (floods, fires). When I look at the landscape I see it as a living organism with a past, a present and a future. Living in Victoria, I am never far from nature. The landscape is alive; it surrounds me and nourishes me. Just sitting or walking in the landscape generates an energy that comes back into the studio with me, energizing my work in unexpected ways.
“To love a place is not enough. We must find ways to heal it.”
Robin Wall Kimmerer
ARTIST BIO
Trish Shwart’s 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 Graduate 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.
Dr. Suzanne Simard of UBC, has uncovered 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 resonates with me. When out hiking or doing plein air 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.
Time is embedded in the landscape. Elements change slowly (the way a tree grows) and there are also large overwhelming changes (floods, fires). When I look at the landscape I see it as a living organism with a past, a present and a future. Living in Victoria, I am never far from nature. The landscape is alive; it surrounds me and nourishes me. Just sitting or walking in the landscape generates an energy that comes back into the studio with me, energizing my work in unexpected ways.
“To love a place is not enough. We must find ways to heal it.”
Robin Wall Kimmerer
ARTIST BIO
Trish Shwart’s 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 Graduate 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.