Rebecca Swan is a Hamilton-based artist and is full of energy, as is her work. Her large swirling colorful works are bright, bold and adventurous. She works in clay paint and other media. I love the large mural works and wish to see many more adorn homes and businesses in the area. It’s hard not to smile to her paintings.
Swan is also a strength and wellness coach as well as a yoga instructor. The calm side steps aside with her artwork. She likes the process as much as the finished product or painting. She shows local et Princeton Makes Artist Gallery in the Princeton Shopping Center.
What are you communicating with your art?
Through my art I am offering a perspective filled with vibrancy, whimsy, courage, and abundance. I love color and nature and feel we need more of it everywhere!
You work in many different media and size. Which comes easiest and which is more challenging?
Every project is different and they all have their challenges, but painting large scale seems to come the most naturally. The most challenging projects are those where I feel I need to be very precise.
How did you get started doing the murals for businesses?
I got some courage, got out of my house, and started asking!
What fight/struggle do you have regarding your art?
As a newer full-time working artist, I find I can easily feel overwhelmed with what direction to go in professionally while believing in myself enough to take the next step. Sales, money for supplies, and recognition are all products of that. I’m very ambitious and want to do many things, so it’s about organizing my thoughts and ideas into a little bit of structure so I can create the plan to make them happen.
Your work is so varied. How do you know what to work on next?
I don’t know! It does seem that every project inspires the next one though. I’ll allow the theme of the idea/concept to inspire what medium I’ll work in. The mushroom sculpture project I recently finished came about because I was having trouble painting mushrooms in the perspectives I wanted, so I began sculpting them so I had models to observe. From doing that, I began loving sculpture, and thus the 31-day mushroom project was born.
Your work rarely has a straight line. Are you constantly sketching?
I tend to paint more than I sketch. My creative practice is very intuitive and not very structured, so I’m not always sure what I’m going to paint when I get started. I just start and then the colors, textures, and shapes become the picture or create the composition.
Your colors are so vivid. Do you see the world in these brilliant colors?
I can’t say I always see the world this way, but I choose to most of the time and I want to help others see the world this way too! It’s the main reason why I love painting murals. The scale and the vibrancy combined have such an impact on the viewer, it has the power to shift the entire energy and feeling of a space.
Where can we see your work?
Currently, my website rebeccaswanart.com or my Instagram @rebeccaeve_swan are the best places to see my work virtually. Locally, I have certain collections of my work available for viewing and purchase at Princeton Makes in the Princeton Shopping Center, Handmade Art Studios in Hightstown, and Bombadil Plant Shop in Bordentown.
What is most fun about being an artist?
I get to create things daily, inspire and guide others to tap into their own creativity, and share my perspective through my work.
What is on the horizon? What are you looking forward to?
I’m looking forward to bringing more of my murals to local businesses and public spaces. Additionally, I’ve integrated my passion for yoga + wellness with my passion for art + creativity into workshops and classes that will begin this Spring. Through these workshops I share my own creative practice and guide others towards developing their own.
Rebecca Swan on Instagram: rebeccaeve_swan. Facebook: rebeccaeveswan. Email: rebeccaeveswan@gmail.com.
Rebecca Swan at work on a mural at Furthur Power Yoga in Sea Girt.,
