Els Swart lives and paints in Fonthill, Ontario; a small Niagara Escarpment community. This UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve provides a wealth of painting subjects from wildflowers to waterfalls; and serves as a studio base from which she travels extensively. Her love of kayaking, trekking and mountain biking afford her unique access to natural landscapes, to which she adds her individual perspective and experiences as she commits them to canvas.
After many years of successful painting in Watercolour, the vibrancy and techniques of Oils attracted Els. Distilling her personal knowledge and the influence of the many artists she’s studied, Els has developed a unique style of brush and bold palette knife to produce a variety of strong, emotive paintings. These paintings included landscape, figurative and portraiture. Recently the creative journey has taken Els into the world of abstract using Acrylic paint and a collection of mixed media materials.
Els has learned from many, including Artists Gery Puley, Margaret Martin, Margaret Roseman and Stefan Galvanek; and is a student of the Dundas School of Art and the Haliburton School of Art. She studied portraiture via workshops of Brian Smith (Honourary Drawing Master of the Drawing Society of Canada) and Gretchen Lopez of Arizona.
Els has instructed Watercolour and Drawing at Niagara College; teaching drawing, composition/design, colour and technique. She is a Past President of the Central Ontario Art Association, and has been an Executive Member of the Pelham Art Festival for many years. She is also a member of the Public Art Committee, a committee advising the Pelham Council. Her paintings have sold at the Burlington Art Centre, the Jordan Art Gallery, the Pelham Art Festival, solo exhibitions , and through select commission requests.
