SARA SWAN

I am an abstract painter native to Southern California.
​I attended Art Center College of Design, and spent time in New York City, but I call Los Angeles home.

My approach to abstract expression strives for a balance between freedom and discipline. It’s about distilling color, contrast and composition down to their essences, while maintaining a sense of spontaneity. I believe each shape, line, and paint stroke carries meaning and comes from the soul.  As Picasso said, “art is the elimination of the unnecessary”. I live by those words and it is my ongoing challenge to follow their wisdom.

I was originally trained as an illustrator and figurative artist, which I practiced for most of my career.  I wanted to break away from what I’d been doing so I emptied my studio of all sketchbooks, drawings and photographic references. I began to paint without any preconceived plans. At first it felt alien and I resisted letting go. It was a very different experience to be intentionally random and imprecise, and was in sharp contrast to how I was trained. After a relatively short time, I was able to paint without over thinking what I was doing. Intense colors and wide brush strokes characterize my work. I find inspiration in the patterns in nature and the textures in fabric, among other things. 
​
—Sara Swan