D A N I E L A S C H W E I T Z E R
D A N I E L A S C H W E I T Z E R
D A N I E L A S C H W E I T Z E R
“People, human gestures, and the simple beauty of ever yday happenings inspire me to paint. Slight movements of an other wise ordinar y person or people’s daily interactions that may go unnoticed to others, catch my eye.
I love capturing the subtle and often fleeting connections and interactions people make as they go about with their daily mundane activities as well as their joyous moments.
“Human connection by the water is a recurring subject in my paintings. I relate to the water not only because my home and studio are close to the beach, but because it brings back memories of my carefree childhood summer vacations and the feeling that water connects all of us regardless of where we are. The light of the California coast where I have lived for almost 30 years and the vibrancy and colors of Argentina where I grew up influence my palette. The play between light and shadow, the emphasis on movement and gesture, and the materiality of the media are impor tant aspects in my painting process.
“Although classically trained from an early age, my current figurative narratives do not emphasize classical figure or por trait making. My style is representational, with suggestions of narrative in the gestures and interactions of the figures, and my desire is to keep a strong sense of the material of paint as though the scene may dissolve at any moment into pure abstraction. I have always been an avid obser ver and curious person and love to explore the unknown, the “maybe,” and the “why not” and to let them play with my feelings. The excitement of not quite knowing how each painting will evolve is my favorite par t of the process. My painting process acts as a creative laborator y where I constantly explore and experiment new pathways.
“I paint in my studio, outdoors by the beach, and in my garden. I generally use my own photography as references, but I also work from direct life obser vation. My figurative paintings star t with spontaneous abstract marks and intuitive simple blocks of paint rather than detailed figure drawing. I tr y to keep loose brushstrokes because my intent is to intuitively express my own internal emotions at that specific instant and my empathy toward the subject rather than mimicking a reference. On many occasions, I transpor t and imagine myself in their place. What are they thinking, saying, or feeling? Are they enjoying themselves?
“My narrative sometimes takes a dif ferent or unexpected route because I let my present feelings and reactions take over. Adding and removing paint, creating large simple forms against detailed small areas of paint, using large brushes and loose bold brushstrokes are all par t of my process. The balance between composition and negative spaces along with textured, color ful layers of paint, and the freedom for energetic spontaneous marks, bring my narrative to life. My desire is to transpor t the viewer to a calm, joyful, familiar or imaginar y connection or place and to elicit emotions, but also to connect them to the essence of my painting process including the histor y of intuitive generous interposed layers of paint, the simplicity of the marks, and the lax movements reflecting life’s passing moments.”
Daniela Schweitzer
Swimmers
Ready
to Dive In
Biking by the Water
