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VISUAL LANGUAGE contemporary fine art
VL
January 2014 Volume 3 No. 1
Sallie-Anne Swift
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Studio Visit Sallie-Anne Swift
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VL Studio Visit Sallie-Anne Swift
From a layman’s view abstract art often looks like the artist has just thrown paint onto a canvas to produce undefined images, but there is more to this type of art than most people realize. Sallie-Anne says she has graduated from realism art to produce fine abstract art pieces and believes her formal art training and many years of illustration, painting and working as a graphic designer play in big part in her finished pieces. As a realism artist for more than 30 years Sallie-Anne says she felt nervous about attempting an abstract painting, “it went against everything I had ever been taught” she says. It wasn’t until the artist moved from Australia to the USA in 2008, that she decided to be brave and try an abstract painting. Initially she struggled with the freedom of her brush, her strokes had always been very confined and controlled and she was constantly reminding herself to “leave it alone”, as she puts it. She found working on larger canvases and using the biggest, widest brushes she could find, gave her no choice but to “free-up” and it wasn’t long before she was producing finished pieces that she felt happy with. “Doing realism was a little stressful, I was worried about every stroke, now I have this new found freedom with my brush, paint and canvas and it is exhilarating, I’ve never looked back or enjoyed my art as much as I do now!” she says. Swift, describes herself as an artist who is “pushing boundaries”. “My head is constantly swimming with ideas for something that is visually appealing yet still tells a story about our environment. Her latest work clearly shows she has perfected a technique that works perfectly. She uses stretched canvas or cradled panels, finished off with acrylic panels that are painted in reverse to the image that appears on the canvas, a unique idea that gives her finished pieces even more depth and interest by creating a 2D effect. She says she had this idea over 3 years ago but was so busy working that it was impossible to find the time to put it all together. Since retiring earlier this year, she is able to paint full time and concentrate on her painting. She has clear ideas in her head and is not just throwing paint onto a canvas, her aim is to produce well structured pieces yet she remains determine not to let this override her artistic awareness. Her choice of colors, texture and bold strokes have a purpose and are precise in their application, which she feels, stems from her many years of experience as a graphic designer and artist.
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Title: Disturbance Medium: Acrylic and Mixed Media Size: 20” x 20”
Swift wants her abstracts to be interesting, something that initially appeals to the eye, yet conveys a message, an emotion or reaction, even perhaps a question. “I love nothing better than to see people closely studying my work, to witness their curiosity, or to see them wanting to interact by touching it.” It’s true her paintings do draw you in, they make you take a second look and you really do want to touch them. She is constantly asked, “How did you do that?” and she replies, “With many years of practice. As an artist, you never stop learning. I have been painting for a very long time, but every time I work on a new piece, I learn something new.” sallieswiftart.com
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Studio Visit Sallie-Anne Swift
Title: Aerial Ocean Medium: Acrylic and Mixed Media Size: 20” x 20”
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Title: Dancing Waves Medium: Acrylic and Mixed Media Size: 20” x 20”
Right Page: Title: Drawing Breat Medium: Acrylic and Mixed Media Size: 36” x 48”
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Banana Bread Two
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VL Studio Visit Sallie-Anne Swift
Title: Hugging The Shore Medium: Acrylic and Mixed Media Size: 20” x 20” ”
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Title: Hugging The Shore Medium: Acrylic and Mixed Media Size: 20” x 20”
Title: The Current Medium: Acrylic and Mixed Media Size: 20” x 20”
Swift says she was inspired by her artistic family at a young age, sitting mesmerized, as she watched her mother (also an artist), paint for hours on end. Her uncle, a jazz musician was also a painter, and her grandmother a milliner and a master at her craft. Her German ancestry dated back to Wagner, the famous pianist. Swift also has a musical background and played piano for many years. “My art has evolved from one of traditional painting to one that fuses together artistic skill, technology, illustration and graphic design skills. It’s thrilling to see the final results. My aim is to creatively use my 2 talents, (art and design) and become a better artist, creating unique pieces” she said. No matter how skilled you are, there are still many people out there who think they can slap some paint on a canvas, call it an abstract and sell it for a pretty penny. Swift believes this is something that greatly compromises the quality of an artist’s work and is an injustice to skilled artists. The international award winning artist, and judge, accepts commission work and enjoys the challenge of creating pieces for each new environment, incorporating colors and textures that will compliment interiors and exteriors and enhance their intended design. Her commissioned work is hanging in LA and Texas corporate offices, prestigious Californian beachside homes as well as Palm Desert, Scottsdale, New Jersey, Ohio, Taiwan, and Australia.
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