Meet Lynn Schwebach | Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Lynn Schwebach and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Lynn, can you talk to us a bit about the social impact of your business?
As a multimedia artist, I hunt found objects and recyclable materials that would otherwise end up as trash. I use these objects as creatively as I can to create unique, one-of-a-kind sculptures, paintings, and other collectibles. My practice includes reusing papers and other odd remnants for collages. For example, I will cut an old canvas that did not meet my standards of fine art and use the scrap pieces in a painting. I also hand-paint and resin lightbulbs. I either sell the bulbs as garden decor or mount them on found objects, creating one-of-kind glass sculptures. Reusing and upcycling meets an important personal goal of reducing any negative impact my art business has on the environment while adding artistic beauty to our lives.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
My artistic life began on Chicago’s South Side where I found respite in my grandfather’s house and studio. It was my grandfather, an oil painter, who first recognized my love of art and began encouraging this love at a young age. But before becoming a professional artist, I went to college for business and journalism, and it was while taking a photojournalism class that I first fell in love with photography. I worked as a writer for many years in several different capacities, including journalism, public relations, and technical writing. But always in my spare time, I was taking photos or drawing. After relocating to Colorado in 1996 for my husband’s job, I began studying painting with local artists. I continued taking photos, but mainly to create subject material for painting. It was in 2012 when I began experimenting with inks that my realistic paintings became more abstract. Still working as a writer and raising a family, I painted in every spare minute.

It wasn’t until a personal tragedy in 2015 — losing my youngest son, Jake, to suicide — that I knew I could only do art. I literally could not function unless it was in front of an easel. My emotions were so complex and inexplicable that I found myself day after day moving paint around paper to try to express the depth of confusion and pain. Eventually I began posting my paintings on social media and discovered that others connected with my emotional language because my art began selling. I believe that is the power of art – connecting people and helping them uncover the inexpressible. We are all human and we all suffer, but out of this shared humanity comes something meaningful – even beautiful. I think painting unearths emotions not yet defined.

That is not to say that every painting sells or life is easy as a full-time artist. I certainly have days of doubt. Yet I have found that experimentation and failure has helped me grow. I learn something new all the time, and it’s this challenge of learning, redoing, and playing that keeps me satisfied. Currently I am combining my love of realism with abstraction because I believe the combination of abstract thoughts with realistic images provides the most authentic images. I am on a path right now to paint more abstract-realistic portraits, so to guide this new direction,I am taking portrait drawing classes at the Boulder School of Fine Art in Boulder.

I am excited about this new direction especially since an abstract-realism portrait I painted this year of an Afghan woman will be in a show at D’Art Gallery in Denver from Nov. 18 to Dec. 12. That this artwork was selected by Dr. Gwen Chanzit, curator emerita of modern art and the Herbert Bayer Collection and Archive at the Denver Art Museum, is a special honor. I believe this portrait demonstrates the intensity, intrigue, and interconnection of lives, and the need for all of us to empathize with whomever is at present struggling to survive.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
The first place I would take a friend is to the art gallery 3 Square Art in Fort Collins, Co. I would hope to have piece of artwork in a current show, but truly, it wouldn’t matter. All the art the gallery displays is engaging. If this friend ate sushi, we would go to Jejeu on College Ave. in Fort collins. The best sushi in the city! And because we would already be in Old Town, we would follow lunch with a stroll through Old Town, checking out the murals in the alleys and my favorite stores, The Cupboard, Wadoo Home and Gifts, and Old Firehouse Books. We would stop for tea at Happy Lucky’s next door to Firehouse. On another day, we would see if there are any exhibits at the Museum of Art in Fort Collins, also in Old Town, and perhaps stop to eat lunch at RARE. We would check out the Lyric Theater for an independent movie in the evening, followed or preceded by appetizers and drinks at Jax Fish House and Oyster Bar. The next day we would take a drive to Poudre Canyon and do a hike along the Poudre river. We would stop for lunch at the Mishiwaka, the iconic riverfront music venue with seasonal outdoor amphitheater, indoor lounge and full-service cafe. Exhausted, we would head back home but stop on the way for a “pick me up” coffee at one of the city’s coffee houses, like Harbinger or Starry Night. If the Aggie Theater or Avogadro’s Number had any live music we would plan that for a night before we leave, especially if Write Minded, my favorite local band, was playing. Finally we would finish the week with dinner at The Emporium in The Elizabeth Hotel, followed by some live jazz music by Mark Sloniker in the Sunset Lounge Rooftop Bar also in the Elizabeth.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would like to dedicate this Shoutout to 3 Square Gallery in Fort Collins, and owners Craig and Kumiko McKee. For many years, the Fort Collins, Colorado community where I live and work did not have a contemporary, professional gallery and art center. I entered art shows outside of my community and also out-of-state, missing an opportunity to show my art locally. Within the last 5 years, this vibrant, sophisticated art space has held shows for local, national, and international artists. This has provided a consummate art venue for professionals to show their art, and for engaging local collectors and art lovers. Kumiko curates each show with the precision and expectations of a fine artist. Each show comes together as a work of art itself. And, through this gallery, I have come to know other artists living and working in Fort Collins, finding a supportive group of like-minded creators.

Website: schwebacharts@gmail.com

Instagram: @schwebacharts

Twitter: schwebacharts@gmail.com

Facebook: schwebacharts@gmail.com

Other: Etsy: schwebacharts.etsy.com