Sunflowers
May 25 - October 15, 2023
The Sunflowers exhibition showcased the debut of the titular series, inspired by the landscapes and gardens surrounding Susan Swartz’s home studios. The vibrant, textural works embody the warmth, energy, and beauty of summer.
With each changing season, Swartz finds inspiration in the shifting light, colors, and textures she observes in the natural world. Through her work, she celebrates the beauty of nature, and in doing so, she calls attention to its fragility and the urgent need for its conservation. The Sunflowers exhibition was an invitation to approach environmental efforts with the energy and hope that sunflowers symbolize. (Add more about the symbology of sunflowers?)
As author and professor Elaine Scarry wrote, “Beauty is aligned with justice because it creates a pressure toward distribution and fairness [...] Beauty is not itself the truth but the condition that makes the search for truth possible.” While the artistic depiction of nature as damaged and scarred can often invigorate action, Swartz takes an alternate approach reflective of Scarry’s explanation. Capturing beauty with honesty and sincerity, Swartz’s paintings reveal a hopeful truth– that an Earth that is alive and whole is a possibility, if it is given a chance.
