My Painting Journey by Eileen Swedyliak

Hello there! 

My name is Eileen Swerdyliak. I grew up on a farm close to MacGregor, and you may know me as Eileen Street. I have been farming south of Winnipeg for the past thirty plus years, but I am retired now. 

I became interested in painting a few years ago when my Mum, Marion Street, started teaching herself to paint. It was so exciting to see her progress. I am so proud of her. With my Mum’s encouragement, I picked up the brush in early 2021. A method of stress relief when my husband became extremely ill. Art became a method of refocusing and a place of quiet. It took over a year for me to paint again after he passed away in early 2022. 

Growing up on a farm, in a close community, influences what type of pictures I prefer to paint. Love western art, landscapes, and animals, but enjoy an occasional portrait, gnome, or fairy. 

Learning from online tutorial instruction, I began the journey. Acrylic paint is my main medium although I love to dabble in watercolor. I am still figuring out who I am now, and what I like to paint the most. Detailing pictures is very satisfying and enjoyable for me. 

Cat Lea Painter has been a friend of mine since we were in elementary school. We rode miles on horseback, as youngsters, with crazy imaginations and never rode home at the right time. She is a gifted artist and has encouraged me onward. 

I have been taking instruction from ‘That Art Girl’, Sharon O’Leary, in the Exchange District in Winnipeg for the last year or so. She has pushed my comfort boundaries with different media and techniques I would not otherwise have tried. 

Artist Statement:

Life changes in various degrees.   Over decades, over weeks, and sometimes in the blink of an eye.  Art, in all its forms and mediums, reflect these changes.  In subtle color changes, to bold strokes, to quiet content, to daring concepts.  All of these reflect some part of the artist’s view of the world.

This is where my journey began, when my life changed, and there was nothing I could do to stop it.  I picked up the brush and canvas as a method of solace and escape.  For a short time everyday, learning about colors, blending, shading and highlights allowed for space to breathe and refocus.  My life fractured in so many ways after my husband passed, that was unable to paint for a year or more.

The calming space of creativity, where I felt safe to express, allowed me reach out for all those fractured pieces and slowly put them back together.  Didn’t matter the end result, it told a story. Happy spaces and calmness returned with every stroke and highlight.  I believe that is what I find in the finer details of a piece.  The focus is like a glue in every detail that puts it together, bringing all the fragments back. Bringing back peace and joy, even if for a short time.

Expressions of life are always left on the artist’s canvas.  Methods, mediums, and tools may change over time. But what the artist leaves behind in a stroke, a color, or expression, is a definition of themselves at the time.  The journey is ever changing, provoking every range of emotion. A beautiful thing to watch and see.

I would like to thank the Prairie Fusion Arts and Entertainment Community for allowing me this opportunity.  Their vision and hard work allow for the development of artist young and old, while provide a community for artists to grow.