Geraldine Swayne
I am a mostly a figurative painter. My work addresses unease in the human condition. The subjects I use are not deliberately sensationalist, but my work has a filmic atmosphere and dreamlike quality, with slightly disturbing undertones.
I work from photographs and collage, choosing subjects drawn both from my circle of friends and anonymous sources. The bodies and faces of my subjects always possess an interior psychological narrative, which I try to amplify with painterly effects that speak to the nervous system rather than to intellect, for example, my subjects are restrained and still, rather than dramatically active, but they resonate with an atmosphere that reflects insinuated, unspoken, unspeakable and often funny evidence of the human psyche.
I paint with enamels because of the exquisite, luminous quality of its colour and its viscosity, which suits my speed of application. The often diminutive size of my paintings invites a close physical relationship between subject and viewer, which creates a private and slightly transgressive feeling, like looking through a keyhole. This close proximity also reflects the private psychology I am investigating in my sitters.
Winner of 2020 Moth Art Prize
Winner of 2018 Royal Academy Summer Show Dupree Prize for female artist.
THE ART CAR BOOT FAIR GOES TO SPACE
Have you got your tickets yet?