“I sometimes envy artists whose work is very spontaneous—those who can start a painting and never be sure where their inspiration and creativity will lead them,” says David Schweitzer. “I, however, am the opposite.”
View From the Field, oil on canvas, 24 x 48 in.
Schweitzer is a planner. By the time he starts painting, he usually knows exactly what the finished piece will look like. He attributes this to the 45 years he spent working as an illustrator and graphic designer. “What inspires me most are cities,” says Schweitzer. “Crowded, noisy streets filled with people, vehicles and signs fighting for my attention. My eyes darting everywhere, never settling on one thing for more than a few seconds. And every person I see is a story waiting to be told. A story as big as my own, but a story I can only imagine and never know. Like stars in the universe. It forces me to wonder and ask questions. That is the effect I hope my paintings will have on the viewer.”
Reflections on 2nd, oil on panel, 16 x 18 in.
Schweitzer wants to his paintings to illustrate ordinary, everyday experiences that we might not think are special enough to remember. “We may not all have climbed mountains, but we have all shopped for groceries, waited in lines or been stuck in horrible traffic,” he explains. “These things are what unite us. And when ordinary places and events are frozen on canvas, maybe then we will stop long enough to see what we missed.”
Fresh Today, oil on canvas, 40 x 50 in.
Schweitzer’s paintings don’t begin when he sits down at the easel. “They really begin on the streets. I observe, I photograph, and eventually ideas start to solidify…With paint and brush in hand, I feel like the picture becomes a living thing.” —
Want to See More?
david@davidschweitzerfineart.com
www.davidschweitzerfineart.com
Represented by Gallery 1871
1871 N. Clybourn Avenue | Chicago, IL 60614
(773) 248-3100 | www.chicagoartsource.com
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