Elizabeth Ryan Swartz
Warren, Vermont
Oil paintings exploring how sunlight transforms landscapes and seascapes through a dramatic play of light, expressive brushwork, and palette knife application.
Message
Education - Cornell University | BS in Design & Environmental Analysis
Selected Mentorship & Long-term Study:
- Michelle Dunaway – Portrait Workshops & Mentoring ~ Capturing the Expressive Qualities of the Alla Prima | Creative Arts Center, Chatham, MA
- Tina Garrett – Portraiture
- Vincent Crotty – Painting Believable Light “Glow” | NewArt Center, Newton, MA
- William St. George – Things They Don’t Teach You in Art School | NewArt Center, Newton, MA
- Richard Weinstein – Int/Adv Painting |Middlebury Studio School, Middlebury, VT
- Dennis Berardinelli – Introduction to Oil Painting | Kingston, NY
- Alice Matthews Gannon – Introduction to Art | Kingston, NY
Workshops & Continuing Education:
Landscape & Plein Air
- Marc Dalessio – Landscape Studio Workshop | Waltham Studios, Waltham, MA
- Don Demers – Plein Air Workshop | Creative Arts Center, Chatham, MA
- Joe McGurl – Plein Air Workshop | Falmouth, MA
- Mark Boedges – Plein Air Workshops | Waitsfield, VT
- George Van Hook – Plein Air Workshop | Middlebury Studio School, Middlebury, VT
- John Cosby – Organizing a Scene into a Compelling Work of Art | Creative Arts Center, Chatham, MA
- Roos Schuring – Landscape Workshops
- Karen Blackwood – Plein Air Workshop | Creative Arts Center, Chatham, MA
- Fay Shutzer – Plein Air Workshop | Truro Center for the Arts at Castle Hill, MA
Figure & Still Life
- Eli Cedrone – Figure in Landscape Studio Workshop | Cape Cod Art Center, Barnstable, MA
- Adam Clague – Portrait & Still Life Workshops
Statement
Growing up in the majestic Hudson River Valley and now residing in the Green Mountains of Vermont, I am a passionate observer of the natural world. My work is a response to the dramatic way sunlight transforms landscapes, seascapes, and street scenes.
I am endlessly fascinated by the play of light and shadow and the hidden colors revealed by atmospheric shifts. Through realistic painting—utilizing both loose brushwork and palette knife application—I strive to create expressive, painterly qualities that convey a sense of calmness, hopefulness, and beauty. My artistic journey began in childhood, inspired by my grandmother, and has come full circle from a career in interior design back to my primary passion: oil painting.