March 2014

Carolina Gallery in Spartanburg, SC, Features Works by Staci Swider

Carolina Gallery in Spartanburg, SC, will present In the Bosom of My Ancestors, featuring an exhibition of recent work by Staci Swider, on view from Mar. 20 through Apr. 12, 2014. A reception will be held on Mar. 20, from 6-9pm.

Swider’s love for design led her to study textile design in college and to a career as a fabric designer/stylist in the home furnishings industry. Eventually the corporate world gave way to motherhood and freelance design replaced boardroom presentations. Today she makes her living painting, building mixed media sculpture, and teaching artist workshops around the country.

“From the whispers of my foremothers, I find the very foundations of my art,” says Swider.

Much of her work exists where tradition meets the personal. As Swider puts it, “Painting and stitching afford me the opportunity to converse with a culture lost to me through time and distance.” As she creates, she is reminded that there is a long familial tradition of women who came before her who stitched out of necessity, warmth, and sustenance.

Swider prefers simple designs, reminiscent of American folk art churned up with Eastern European influences. In her work red line drawings are sandwiched between layers of acrylic paint, oil pastels and grease pencil, and slavic embroidery patterns are highlighted by passionate copper accents. All of these elements stem from the same spiritual undercurrents that drive her imagery, textiles, and sculpture.

Swider recently designed a line of dinnerware incorporating the designs for which she is known. Infused with the colors and sites of the pond where she makes her home, these whimsical pieces are only the next iteration of Swider’s lively imagination. In her own words, “Stay tuned, you never know where dancing along this red road is going to take me...,” says Swider.

For further information check our SC Commercial Gallery listings, call Shannon Emory at 864/585-3335 or visit (www.carolinagalleryart.com).

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