Posts Tagged ‘ Julianna Swaney ’

Tilde in Sellwood will host a First Friday reception for Julianna Swaney from 6:00pm to 9:00pm on Friday, April 6th, 2012. This show features pencil drawings and watercolors that connect with the themes of guides, guardians, and caretakers. Viewers will be delighted by scenes of people nurturing plants, girls being protected by huge dogs, and a few tricksters who may or may not be helpful to children lost in the woods. These images represent further exploration of the artist’s interest in plants and animals, the folklore we’ve created around them, and our deep connection to them.

Julianna Swaney was born in Michigan and grew up playing outside in the woods with her dogs and cats, going on family vacations to historical sites and bird watching, and visiting antique stores, all of which continue to be an influence on her work. Because books were always very important in her house, she developed an early fondness for fairytales and magic that could be found in the real world via nature and history. Motivated to create, Swaney received her BFA from Maine College of Art in 2005, and since then has shown her work in galleries around the country. Her illustrations appear in several magazines, including Martha Stewart Weddings, Uppercase, and Tin House, as well as in a recent book. This inspired Portland, Oregon transplant continues to make a living from her artwork.

Fairytales and folktales let people like Swaney understand a universe that could be confusing and frightening, but is also beautiful and mysterious. As a child, she believed that everything—animals, trees, rocks—had a voice, and that if we just listen closely, these beings can serve as sage guides. Swaney lets us access her guides through her artwork, connecting us to a human element that is essential to our understanding of the non-human world. In her paintings, facts intermingle with traces of lingering echoes of childhood memories, of folklore, and of fairy tales.

Located in Sellwood, Tilde hosts a revolving bi-monthly art show, with receptions on the First Friday of the opening month. Tilde, a modern lifestyle shop, offers a well-edited selection of women’s and men’s accessories, and home decorative items that are primarily handmade by individual artists and design groups. Displayed in a home/gallery environment, each product sits near a designer’s statement to reveal the story behind each creation.

Julianna Swaney
@ Tilde in Sellwood
7919 SE 13th Avenue
Portland, OR. 97202
OPENS April 6th, 2012 | 6-9pm

Show Ends: 2012-05-31