My heart in middle age found the Way, 2010
mixed media on canvas, 36" x 48"
Artist Statement
The concept of order, disorder, and reordering is central to my work. Scientists talk of order and randomness, of entropy, and of eternity’s eventual end when all differences disappear. Yet, I am an optimist. I see life as an anti-entropic force for order. In my work, I constantly propose not a duality of life and death, but an endless cycle of life, death, and rebirth.
My most recent series, The Thirteenth Moon, may be interpreted as a symbol of life’s continuous renewal, since the thirteenth moon may bridge the last portion of an old year with the first portion of the new.
I explore systems of knowledge by translating philosophical concepts into aesthetic visual experiences.
My paintings honor differences among cultures by utilizing symbols and words that represent concepts shared by people of widely different philosophic worldviews. I hope that, by exposing people to the beliefs of others and by showing the interconnectedness of one belief system to another, each of us may experience a common compassion.
I studied many systems of knowledge during the last forty years, both ones well known and those more esoteric; incorporating these teachings into my life and into my art is an evolving process.
I work in series, beginning a new series with an entirely different visual approach after I solve the aesthetic challenges of my then current series. I investigate the healing potential of images in all my series, often employing pilgrimage and other ritualistic acts in the creation processes. I use word and/or myth-like visual elements from many philosophic and religious systems (including Native American healing practices, Buddhism, Christianity, Taoism, the I-Ching, Jewish mysticism as taught in the Cabala, and the chakra system of Hinduism) in order to facilitate communication with viewers on both conscious and unconscious levels.
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Education
New York University -
Master of Arts
Cornell University - Bachelor of Science
Select Solo Exhibitions 2000 -
2010
The Word in Paint, Lawrence Asher Gallery, Los Angeles
2009
The Word in Paint, LA Artcore, Union Center for the Arts & Brewery Annex, Los Angeles
A Retrospective, West Valley Art Museum, Surprise, AZ
2008
The Word in Paint, Arizona State University, Phoenix, AZ
The Word in Paint, Cline+Dale Fine Art, Scottsdale, AZ
2006
The Thirteenth Moon, The Aspen Club and Spa, Aspen, CO
The Thirteenth Moon, Cline Fine Art, Scottsdale, AZ
2005
Israel Revisited, Ten Sites, Temple Beth Sholom, Roslyn Heights, NY
Time’s Call, Aspen, CO, Aspen International Art
Renewed in Another Place, Cline Fine Art, Santa Fe, NM
Kabbalah Works, Jewish Community Foundation, Los Angeles, CA
2004
The Fire and the Rose: New Variations, Cline Fine Art, Scottsdale, AZ
The Fire and the Rose, Aspen International Art, Aspen, CO
The Fire and the Rose, Vanier Galleries Ltd, Scottsdale, AZ
2003
Visible Reminders, Sylvia Plotkin Judaica Museum, Phoenix, AZ
2002
Beth Ames Swartz, Northern Trust Scottsdale, AZ
Sight and Sound: Sensory Soul Searching, Jewish Center, Mamaroneck, NY
Beth Ames Swartz: New Work, Chiaroscuro Gallery, Santa Fe, NM
Reminders of Invisible Light, Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art, Ithaca, NY
Visible Reminders, Vanier Galleries Ltd, Scottsdale, AZ
Reminders of Invisible Light, Phoenix Art Museum, Phoenix, AZ
2000
States of Change, Vanier Gallery, Scottsdale, AZ
Select Group Exhibitions 2000 -
2006-07
Yatra: Return to Self, Gallery Centella, Tucson, AZ
The Grand Canyon: From Dream to Icon, Tucson Museum of Art, Tucson, AZ
2005
The Hidden Garden, The Borowsky Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
2003
Aspen International Art, Aspen, CO
The National Arts Club, Salute to Feminists in the Arts Invitational, New York, NY
Summer Group Show, The Freed Gallery, Lincoln City, OR
2002
Healing/Trans-forming, Newhouse Center for Contemporary Art, Staten Island, NY
Four Person Exhibition, Pentimenti Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
Arte-Misia, Summer Show, Sedona, AZ
Group Show, ACA Galleries, New York, NY
2001
In Celebration, Phippen Museum, Prescott, AZ
In Celebration, Desert Caballeros Western Art Museum, Wickenburg, AZ
Eight Women Artists, Bernstein Display, New York, NY
2000
Images of Nature, Phoenix Art Museum, Phoenix, AZ
