Carolyn Swiszcz, American Surplus acrylic and pencil on paper 39x73, 2004

american surplus acrylic and pencil on paper 39x73 2004

AMERICAN SURPLUS

recent paintings by CAROLYN SWISZCZ

Gallery Co presents American Surplus, a new exhibit featuring paintings on paper by artist Carolyn Swiszcz. Inspired by buildings near her studio in the Midway area of St. Paul and her home in West St. Paul, Ms. Swiszcz transforms the everyday homeliness of auto body repair shops and motor inns into appealing compositions of color, pattern, and texture. Lonely window displays and parking lots are rendered in a flat, graphic style that is a holdover from her undergraduate days as a printmaker. The playful handling of the subject matter, through the use of bright colors, collaged paper, and rubber stamp patterns is tempered by a feeling of quiet contemplation and melancholy.