Art lovers are invited to see the creative works of local talent Sylvia Swift through her free exhibit as she shares her 'Reflections on Walking' inside the Portals gallery Annex gallery at the Cowichan Valley Community Centre from Jan. 20 to Feb. 4.
"It feels quite amazing to be able to share my work," said Swift. "I had only asked if there were spots available in December and was told the end of January was open and since have dived into the process with so much support from friends and family. It has spurred me on to do more pieces related to the Valley and my life here."
Swift has been dabbling in art since she was a teenager when she lived in Nanaimo and later made her way to the mainland where she spent several years working in theatre. Many will recognize her through her countless acting endeavours here in the community with her most recent role being Jessica Quartermaine in Mercury Players' staged reading of Jessica's Fine Adventure. Swift who is now the new president with Mercury Players has had many adventures of her own in her life including the joys of teaching and raising her children in the Cariboo Chilcotin.
"After my children left the nest the island called me back, my parents and brother are in Sidney and Victoria so it made sense, and the ocean was calling," said Swift. "There have been waves of exploring on my art journey, I did a lot of stagecraft murals during my theatre training but when I moved to the Chilcotin I spent weekly sessions with an artist and it reignited my passion for it. There is a peaceful tranquility in “zoning in” and deeply observing in order to capture and portray something. Another time the wave started with simple doodling and playing during some art therapy, I’ve taken many workshops and keep developing my style."
Swift has 37 pieces she is hoping to all incorporate into her 'Reflections on Walking' exhibit as well as couple of driftwood mobiles in the exhibit. While she says most of her pieces are for sale, there are a few more personal pieces of her family that are not. While Swift has worked with pastels, and some acrylic her favourite medium to work is watercolours as she describes that medium as often having a life of its own and can be more unpredictable which she loves. She shares that her art in this exhibit was inspired by her love of reflections in water as well through the wandering adventures she has in camper/ car named Fern.
"I often paint on these trips and they inspire a lot of my work, these pieces are also a kind of story that I’m reflecting on," said Swift. "My favourite part was starting so many new projects. That’s my favourite thing, planning and starting a piece. It is why I like the loose flows. Some of my pieces take a long time when I get into the details and I sometimes struggle with that as I lose the initial passion of or the piece."
The official art opening for Swift's 'Reflections on Water' will be on Jan 23 from 1 to 4 p.m., and she will be in the gallery doing demos on the Tuesdays and weekends.
"I hope people leave with a painting," said Swift. "If they can take away a curiosity about the world and how it is reflected; a feeling of peace and delight I will be happy."
