PAULA SWAIN

Salt Lake City, Utah

Paula Swain grew up with plein air painting as a part of her life. Both of her parents were art teachers, and many of Paula’s childhood weekends were spent plein air painting with her father. She eventually attended college, graduating as a registered nurse from the San Juan College of Nursing in New Mexico. But plein air painting was her first love, and she returned to it immediately. Her work can be found in collections around the world and has been shown in galleries around the U.S. Paula was awarded second place in the 2019 Oil Painters of America Great Paint Out in Sedona, Arizona and third place in the 2020 Sedona Plein Air event.

This is one of my favorite places on the planet! It is the President Harding camp on the upper Colorado River. On a river trip we had time to do a couple of plein air paintings here. My goal was to figure out how to convey the colors of the glowing limestone walls. This is the view looking upriver from a beach near the bottom of Eminence Break; just beyond this area is where the river takes one of its sharpest turns.

As I was painting, I was reminded of the words of Vincent Van Gogh, “I experience a period of frightening clarity in those moments when nature is so beautiful I am no longer sure of myself, and the paintings appear as in a dream.”

It seems anywhere, any view of the Grand Canyon evokes in me a deep feeling of awe, stillness in my soul, and great respect for the canyon. But this place is extra special. It is my intent to share with the viewer these feelings of joy, wonder, and awe.

Redwall Sunset | 45x36, oil