LISA SWAYNE was born in Northeastern Pennsylvania, USA in 1967, and moved to the west coast with her family. She is the eldest of three daughters and one son. Lisa has lived in six states in the USA and has travelled between international borders, including France, England and Canada. Currently, Lisa Swayne resides in Vancouver, British Columbia with her husband, Mike Swayne, artist/entrepreneur, and her daughter, Bridget . Lisa Swayne began studying art early in life. In Tunkhannock, Pennsylvania, Mr. Thatcher, the local artist and gallery owner, granted drawing lessons to Lisa. In 1985 Lisa enrolled at Carnegie-Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. There she studied humanities until 1987 when, William Chickillo, a regional artist, taught Lisa the fundamentals of drawing from the right side of the brain. In 1987, Lisa entered Savannah College of Art & Design, in Savannah, Georgia. She graduated with a Bachelor of Art - graphic design, major - art history, minor.
While attending Savannah College of Art & Design, Lisa exhibited her works throughout the campus buildings. Lisa joined fellow artists in a post modern poster exhibition, and graduate show exhibition. In 1995, Lisa exhibited a solo show in Boulder, Colorado at Penny Lane Coffee House, where she sold five paintings. For two years, Lisa taught art and graphic design. First in 1993, as an instructor at Art Advertising Academy in Cincinnati, Ohio, Lisa taught illustration and design. Moving to Colorado in 1994, Lisa taught graphic design, color theory, and drawing at Denver Institute of Technology. Moving to North Carolina in 1996, Lisa became full time art teacher to more than 600 students between three schools (Kindergarten through 8th grade).
Since moving to Vancouver in 1997, Lisa has painted a collection of abstract figurative canvases in a surreal environment. With multi-colored details, Lisa's paintings are vivid; at a distance, sometimes her paintings seem monotone. She paints mostly in acrylic, and sometimes in mixed media including oil, ink, gesso, and wax and clear glaze. Her largest canvas painting is more than ten feet wide, while most of her paintings are around three to four feet wide. Inspired by her inner feelings, experiences and passions, Lisa's paintings reflect a combination of past artists, including Matisse, Klee, Kandinsky, Modrian, Picasso, De Kooning and O'Keefe. With an extended family consisting of painters, sculptors, photographers, potters, writers and musicians, Lisa has experienced art from many perspectives. To date 2000, private collections of Lisa's paintings exist in Vancouver, L.A., Colorado, North Carolina, Ohio, & Florida. She recently had artwork published on the cover of a book of poetry by Catherine McNeil of Vancouver, British Columbia.
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