My exhibit is titled in+site. I spelled the word “site” because the images revolve in and around a modern house or site. Two people exist in the location but are never actually together. Do they know each other? What is their relationship? Is it more of a non relationship? The site creates obstacles to them but at the same time confines them into the space.

Instead of creating a specific story, this group of images comes together and enables the viewer to observe and create their own personal idea of the situation. Like the characters, each image stands on its own while being tied together by the site.

My story starts in my hometown of New Roads, Louisiana. A town more than 300 years old with a wealth of history and outlined with lush beautiful live oaks and very tall pecan trees. It’s easy to see that the trees of my childhood have inspired my paintings.

The subject of my paintings are trees, usually in a wide open field. I often describe my paintings as a marriage of my past and present life. Big beautiful trees of my childhood paired with beautiful clear blue skies and wide open spaces that are prominent here in north Texas. My paintings are almost like portraits of trees. I take photos of trees that inspire me and then try to paint them as realistic as possible and create an imaginary landscape around the tree(s). People have described my paintings as surreal or hyperreal but the application really takes on a pointillist and sometimes very impressionist style. I paint happy, I want the viewer to smile when they observe my paintings. 

My “DeGRAPHI” style of painting which I created about 17 years ago to challenge myself offer an even more impressionist interpretation. I coined the term “DeGrpahi” as an acronym for “detail graphics”. These paintings feature details I refer to as;  swirls, starburst, basketweave, or crosshatch, etc. Quite a bit more detail than my traditional tree paintings but they have a loyal following today. DeGraphi's are priced a bit more because they are a bit more challenging and take more time to create.

American-born artist, Toni Swarthout, has worked for three decades as a contemporary abstract artist. Her work is ever-evolving, limitless in form and style. “Art is the language that I speak.  And, that language is always fluid and shifting”. Swarthout’s work sometimes exudes a quiet, meditative quality, while other times displaying a boisterous and animated experience for the viewer.

Swarthout’s work is non-objective and organic, deriving from authentic movement and thought. She is always pushing herself to unveil new methods of language and experience, never settling for an end to her creative process. “Just like in life, art gives me opportunities to express myself; to learn and listen; to receive and respond to the everyday flow.”

Swarthout is inspired by so many masters of art. Rothko, Kandinsky, Twombley, Hoffman and Mitchell to name a few.

Swarthout is self-taught, while also studying under Anton Weiss, who was a student of Hans Hoffman.

Swarthout continues to push the creative limits even further with her upcoming show, “Off Script”.

Her work is collected throughout the United States and is represented by 8 galleries in the U.S.