ABOUT THE ARTIST
Wife, mother, and teacher by day. Artist by night.
Mary Swanson grew up in Rockford, Illinois, the youngest daughter of an artist and business owner. She spent most of her childhood in art galleries surrounded by artists and creative people. One of her fondest memories as a child was participating in a college level painting course with her mother at Rockford University. In 2004 she moved to Chicago, Illinois where she attended DePaul University to receive her BA in Secondary Art Education with a minor in painting. In 2006 she accepted a high school teaching position in Iowa where she currently resides with her daughter and her husband.
She was diagnosed with OCD at the age of 15 dealing with contamination and maternal OCD. It wasn't until 2012 when she decided to create a voice for her illness and begin painting what it was like to live with the disease.
ABOUT THE WORK
My work began as a therapeutic journey to help with my internal struggles with dealing with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, an illness that I was diagnosed with at the age of 15. I began painting the series, Embracing OCD, as a way to connect the viewer to the mind of someone with mental illness. I gained a lot of positive response from this work which lead me to start a second series titled, Faces of OCD. This was an attempt to tell more personal stories of others with OCD and connect people from around the world. Each piece included the self portrait of those interviewed while being displayed along side the their personal story. This allowed the viewer a chance to connect to the painted individual in a more intimate level. I found myself becoming very passionate about the interview process and working with individuals from all areas that I decided to expand my search. I no longer wanted to limit my artwork to only those with mental illness but individuals from all walks of life.
Each painting begins with an interview and a photograph as I strive to capture the rawness and beauty of each individual. The image is then abstracted to give some mystery and privacy to each portrait.
The colors used in each piece communicates the personal identity that I get from interpreting the personal emotions of each person.
My primary inspiration is derived by abstract paintings, bold colors, and street art techniques.
Wife, mother, and teacher by day. Artist by night.
Mary Swanson grew up in Rockford, Illinois, the youngest daughter of an artist and business owner. She spent most of her childhood in art galleries surrounded by artists and creative people. One of her fondest memories as a child was participating in a college level painting course with her mother at Rockford University. In 2004 she moved to Chicago, Illinois where she attended DePaul University to receive her BA in Secondary Art Education with a minor in painting. In 2006 she accepted a high school teaching position in Iowa where she currently resides with her daughter and her husband.
She was diagnosed with OCD at the age of 15 dealing with contamination and maternal OCD. It wasn't until 2012 when she decided to create a voice for her illness and begin painting what it was like to live with the disease.
ABOUT THE WORK
My work began as a therapeutic journey to help with my internal struggles with dealing with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, an illness that I was diagnosed with at the age of 15. I began painting the series, Embracing OCD, as a way to connect the viewer to the mind of someone with mental illness. I gained a lot of positive response from this work which lead me to start a second series titled, Faces of OCD. This was an attempt to tell more personal stories of others with OCD and connect people from around the world. Each piece included the self portrait of those interviewed while being displayed along side the their personal story. This allowed the viewer a chance to connect to the painted individual in a more intimate level. I found myself becoming very passionate about the interview process and working with individuals from all areas that I decided to expand my search. I no longer wanted to limit my artwork to only those with mental illness but individuals from all walks of life.
Each painting begins with an interview and a photograph as I strive to capture the rawness and beauty of each individual. The image is then abstracted to give some mystery and privacy to each portrait.
The colors used in each piece communicates the personal identity that I get from interpreting the personal emotions of each person.
My primary inspiration is derived by abstract paintings, bold colors, and street art techniques.