Lajes spouse showcases art in local community

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Angelique N. Smythe
  • 65th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
LAJES FIELD, Portugal --  Mixed media artist Carly Swenson, and wife of Tech. Sgt. Casey McKinney, 65th Logistics Readiness Squadron, recently opened an exhibition for her art at the Youth and Arts Academy in Praia da Vitoria.

About 50 people attended the opening of her first international exhibition, which is displayed until April 10 and features 15 digital images, 22 works on canvas and a wall of 134 pages of art.

In a blog entry dated March 12, 2012, Swenson wrote, "Last Saturday night was the opening for my Momentary Visual Autobiography mixed media exhibition. I was very excited, but also incredibly nervous. As I changed clothes at least six times, (and my husband patiently waited on the sofa for me to eventually decide what to wear) my mind reeled with all the incessantly absurd ideas of what could possibly go wrong--What if no one comes? What if nobody likes my work? What if I appear unprofessional? What if I do something dopey and embarrass myself?"

Just as she freely expressed herself in the blog, Swenson also shared her art with the people of Terceira through her Momentary Visual Autobiography mixed media exhibition of art she has branded Naked Carly Art.

"My work is really honest; I consider my art very personal and I want to share it with people," she said. "So, I guess conceptually and figuratively, it's naked."

So far, Swenson has sold four pieces from this collection of her artwork.

"I was amazed how interested and encouraging people were about my imagery," she said in her blog. "I was impressed by the length of time most people spent looking at the details of each work and I did my best to answer any questions about themes, technique or images used in my pieces. I also enjoyed listening to others' interpretations of my work."

The opportunity for Swenson's first international solo art show resulted after her landlord's son saw her artwork in her home and introduced her to an art gallery coordinator who took the time to view her personal art studio.

"He really liked my work, and said, 'Yea, I'd really like to have a show with you. You can have all these screens and these walls and do what you want,'" she said.

With a bachelor of fine arts degree in visual arts and an art history minor from Bemidji State University in Minnesota, Swenson has been pursuing art as a career for approximately four years.

"I've been making art forever," she said. "When you're an artist, you kind of need to develop your own style and specialize in whatever you do. I found that I pretty much like any art technique, so, if I do mixed media, I can kind of do everything I want when I feel like doing it. If I just focus on one thing, such as painting or printmaking, I'll get bored; my heart won't be in it totally. So, this allows me to experiment, play, keep doing and keep learning everything without having to give up another. I've definitely evolved into a style of how I work."

Manuel Martins, 65th Air Base Wing Public Affairs, is a local artist on the island of Terceira. He said he has been involved in art shows since 1971 when he first organized an art group show of Terceira Island fine art artists.

"Carly Swenson was a big surprise to me and I may say she is the best I have seen on collages," Martins said. "She masters the design of the art work and incorporates an artistic expression that touches us very deeply."

Originally from Havre, Mont., Swenson works at the Lajes Field Atlantic Island Kennel as an animal caretaker. She has lived on the island of Terceira for approximately one year with her husband, their two dogs and a cat.

A few of her mixed media collages are displayed in the Atlantic Island Kennel, as well as in the Airman and Family Readiness Center here.

Just recently, Swenson was mailed a published copy of her friend's book, "Sometimes Out of Turn" by Ben Westlie, for which she created the cover image.

Next month she will be featured in the "Somerset Studio Art Journaling" magazine, a national magazine. In a future issue, she will have a published article in the same magazine on styles, techniques and themes of art journaling.

May 14 through 18, Swenson will be teaching a 10-hour workshop on journaling techniques at the Youth and Arts Academy in Praia da Vitoria.

Visit the Top of the Rock Club March 23 during their wine tasting and art exhibition to see a few pieces of her work there as well or read her blog at www.nakedcarlyart.wordpress.com.