 |
Jesus Christ is given many names throughout the scriptures, each an expression of either the writer’s or time’s perception of Him. “Certainly, mine has evolved since I began to paint the stories of his life,” says Liz, “and will continue to change and grow just as our world does. One thing will remain the same — my need to testify of His love and life through art. As I created this portrait I returned again and again to one of his names in particular, one whose meaning feels most appropriate for these times: The Prince of Peace.”
|
|
|
Liz Lemon Swindle has a deep, abiding faith that she feels blessed to share
through her art. A lifelong Utah resident, she studied fine arts at Utah
State
University. She worked for several years as a set designer and painter for the
Osmond Studios television production company. As her family grew (she and her
husband Jon Swindle today have five children), she saw the need for a more
flexible career and decided to focus on oil painting. In the early 1980s she
tutored under renowned wildlife artist Nancy Glazier and soon after
established
her own impressive reputation as a wildlife painter, participating in shows at
major galleries in the central and western United States. However, Lemon
Swindle became increasingly discontent, feeling artistically and spiritually
unfulfilled. In October 1988 she reached a turning point when she submitted a
portrait of children to the National Arts for the Parks competition and
received the coveted Founders' Favorite award. She realized then that there
was an audience for her portrait painting and by the early 1990s she had
devoted herself to the topic closest to her heart: her faith. A one-woman
show of her Christian art traveled to cities nationwide in the summer of 1997
and a book of her paintings, "She Shall Bring Forth a Son" was published in
1998.
|
|
