2011 Artisans Road Trip Artist - Lynn Swan

"Hang up Your Wrap" Crazy Patch 2009

Lynn Hunter Swan was born in Lowell, Indiana, but came to Iowa to attend Drake University where she met and married an Iowa State senior who swept her off her feet and carried her off to a farm in Dickens (northwest), Iowa.  She eventually earned her B.A. from Buena Vista University in Music Education with a minor in Art, where she first discovered a fascination with weaving and design.  Her formal art training added new dimensions to her life-long love of textiles, fibers, needlework and sewing.

red/rust knitted wrap 2010

After semi-retiring from a 28 year career as an interior designer, for many years owner of Lynn Hunter Swan Interiors in Spencer, she is returning to playing with strands of what ever catches her fancy… primarily weavings of miscellaneous fibers and yarns, collages of paper, etc. and also Crazy Patch quilting. 

tan/copper weaving with "bovine ivory" 2009

Her work is currently shown at Arts on Grand, Spencer, From our Hands, Des Moines, the Octagon, Ames, IA and  in Oct., N.W. Iowa’s Artisan’s Road Trip.

Check back again for more news and artists of the 2011 Artisans Road Trip!

2011 Artisans Road Trip Artist - Barb McGee

This Artisans Road Trip spot light is on artist Barb McGee!  Barb works from her studio and gallery in Peterson, Iowa.  Barb is going to give us a little insight into her selective process in working with a painting.

"For me starting a new painting means finding the perfect photograph or in some cases many photo's.  For my current painting it was a matter of reduction.  At my opening reception at A Piece Of Work in Spirit Lake I stated that I wanted to paint a white shirt.  Now I am not at all sure why a cowboy would want to wear a white shirt but some of them really do.

Last year my husband Don and I went to a ranch in South Dakota for a branding.  I took over a thousand pictures.  I knew I had at least one guy in a white shirt so I started looking to figure out which photo had the most potential.

These are the best ones I had to pick from.  They are very involved photos that are going to make very involved paintings.  My idea of an ideal painting is simple and in your face.  I like to crop and simplify so it was an easy choice for me.  The next step is to examine my choice and see if I can make it better.  I went through several croppings until I found the one I liked best.

Good

Better

Better, but still too much noise under the horses head

Ah Ha, now that is what I wanted :-)  I have my white shirt & ropes and saddle and even a hat, what more could I want????  It doesn't seem to bother me that my cowboy has no head, what do you think of the headless horseman?  Maybe it has something to do with living on Sleepy Hollow Road :-)"

 Watercolor Painting ©Barb McGee

And here is Barb's finished painting!

Stop by again for more interesting artists from the 2011 Artisans Road Trip!