About Toni Swarthout

Painting, for me, is all about listening and awareness. I am inspired by nature and human activity around me. My paintings are my way of bearing witness to events, nature, human kindness and suffering in the world. I have taken several painting classes and instructions from different teachers. But, what I found is my true talent comes not from what I learned in art class, but from my inner awareness and deep listening. Painting feeds my soul. It is a gateway for me to connect with the earth, nature and beyond. I take much delight in sharing my art with others and offering them a window into my world. I use a palette knife to apply layers upon layers of transparent paints. Then, I begin a long and sometimes arduous relationship with the painting. I scrape the canvas, I carve through the paint with a fine instrument, I apply paint and then spray it off with a hose, and sometimes I even take a sander to the canvas to reveal underlying colors. When I can feel the freedom of expression in my paintings, I know that I have established my place in the world.