Artist Bio

Carly Swenson is an acrylic intuitive painter originally from northern Montana. She spent more than a decade as a mixed media artist before shifting to acrylics. Swenson received her Visual Arts BFA/Art History Minor from Bemidji State University (Bemidji, MN). She’s traveled and lived abroad, studying in China, traveling throughout Europe, and living in England and the Azores, Portugal. The influence of this exposure to other cultures and her love of art history is especially evident in her earlier work, playing off themes of feminine ideals, gender roles, and beauty expectations.

As she evolved into an intuitive artist, Swenson’s work gained a new unique presence. Her work results from embracing uncertainty and trusting the intrinsic creative process, giving her art vibrancy with dreamlike qualities. Viewers are invited to lose themselves and mindfully engage with their own emotional responses and visual interpretations.

Swenson’s work has been shown in solo and group exhibitions throughout the US and internationally. Her freelance writing and mixed media journals have been published in nationally distributed art magazines. She facilitates art workshops for various age groups. Her work is also included in the permanent art collections of the Angra do Heroismo Museum (Terceira, Azores) and Bemidji State University.

Currently, she lives in St. Paul, MN with a smart little dog and a weird little cat. They’re nice.