Liz Lemon Swindle
Liz Lemon Swindle began her painting career in first grade. Her first exhibitions were on the refrigerator, encouraged by her father. In the early 1980s she tutored under renowned wildlife artist, Nancy Glazier. In 1992, Liz began painting a subject matter she had long desired to approach: her faith. Her paintings are now held in corporate and private collections around the world and have been published in countless magazines and books. Liz and her husband Jon have five children and thirteen grandchildren (FoundationArts.com).
Swindle is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and her devout belief inspires the themes of most of her work. She is extremely prolific, and has created numerous paintings around a central theme, one group being of the life and experiences of Mormon prophet Joseph Smith, and another group centered on the life of Christ.
The following is her bio as reported by The Greenwich Workshop [1]:
- Liz Lemon Swindle has a deep, abiding faith that she feels blessed to share through her art. A lifelong Utah resident, she studied fine arts at Utah State University. She worked for several years as a set designer and painter for the Osmond Studios television production company. As her family grew (she and her husband Jon Swindle today have five children), she saw the need for a more flexible career and decided to focus on oil painting. In the early 1980s she tutored under renowned wildlife artist Nancy Glazier and soon after established her own impressive reputation as a wildlife painter, participating in shows at major galleries in the central and western United States. However, Lemon Swindle became increasingly discontent, feeling artistically and spiritually unfulfilled. In October 1988 she reached a turning point when she submitted a portrait of children to the National Arts for the Parks competition and received the coveted Founders' Favorite award. She realized then that there was an audience for her portrait painting and by the early 1990s she had devoted herself to the topic closest to her heart: her faith. A one-woman show of her Christian art traveled to cities nationwide in the summer of 1997 and a book of her paintings, "She Shall Bring Forth a Son" was published in 1998.
Recognition of Swindle's Art
No matter what subject matter Liz chooses, she becomes recognized as an expert. This was true when she was a wildlife painter, and it is true as she has finished her works on Joseph Smith and created over 50 works in her series, "Son of Man, God with Us."
The Catholic Archbishop Augustine DiNoia, believing that Liz has captured in her paintings the real essence of Christianity, ordered ten thousand copies of her paintings of Christ for prayer cards for his worshippers. And the City of New York purchased one of Liz’s paintings to display at a newly opened women’s shelter. City fathers see true charity in her art. [2]
Pope Benedict XVI now has one of Liz’s paintings in Rome; she received a beautiful blessing from the Holy Father thanking her for her touching gift of art. Her portraits are also displayed in gallery exhibitions, LDS visitors’ centers, and homes throughout the United States and abroad.
Current Projects
Artist Liz Lemon Swindle is currently painting the parables of Jesus Christ but with a modern twist. She first paints the parable as it would have been understood in the Savior's time and then creates a painting of what it might look like during our time. Liz always begins with a photo shoot and then paints from the photographs. Below is a video of a photo shoot for this project, and below that, a finished painting about the parable of the lost sheep.
