We were lucky to catch up with Katie Swatland recently and have shared our conversation below.

Katie, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you share a story that illustrates an important or relevant lesson you learned in school

Please see attached PDFs in email titled:

1a_Swatland_Important Lessons
1b_Swatland_Important Lessons_Brushwork_and_the_Breath

I have been giving this quite a bit of thought lately. Those formative student years are some of
the most groundbreaking, exciting, and inspiring times. They shape you into the person you are,
how you approach solving problems, how you pursue creative ventures, how you treat others,
and generally how you move through the world as you grow as a person. I wrote a small book
dedicated to the spirit of the eternal student and gave it to the Mark Arts Foundation when they
acquired one of my paintings for their permanent museum collection. I’d like to share a few
thoughts and passages from this book, as I feel it captures these impactful lessons learned while
in school and encourages the inquisitive spirit to live on in us throughout the rest of our lives.

I would first like to share this poem I wrote titled, ‘The Eternal Student’:

Katie, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I grew up with a mother who was a professional artist. We spent every day in the summer on the beach exploring and playing while she captured sketches of us and photos for references for her
paintings. I didn’t realize it at the time, but now that I am older, looking back, this time was
rather monumental in developing my curiosity for the world around me. There was something
special about getting lost in exploration and fully immersing myself into the delightful world of
the seaside. The worlds within worlds . . . the sea creatures in the tidal pools . . . the ocean
treasures shaped and smoothed by the salt water . . . the sea glass shimmering in the sunlight and
all the different colors in the rocks . . . it felt infinite and fractal. I really think this was where my
curiosity for the world truly began. I learned how to entertain myself through contemplating
nature as I explored. This time deepened my appreciation and love of nature and truly nurtured
my curiosity and love for learning. Looking back, I see now how much these years informed my
paintings, especially the more imaginative ones I have been working on lately.
I always knew I wanted to study art, but instead of going to college for art, I wanted to study
nature’s language first, so I went for the sciences. I chose to study engineering, which gave me a
wonderful education in the foundations of math and science. I absolutely adored learning
nature’s language through equations and spent countless hours exploring textbooks . . . often
going above and beyond what was required for each course, simply because I was curious. I
remember packing my bag with all sorts of colorful drawing tools and blank, unruled paper, and
heading out to find the most inspiring buildings on campus to study. Since I learn best through
visual examples, I would draw out the equations as visual representations of the concepts we
were learning. I always romanticized diving deep into the equations to uncover and unlock the
hidden mysteries of the universe . . . that is also why I dove so deeply into training Kung Fu and
breakdancing at the time as well, as it taught me the same things in a different language about
life. It also gave me the physical discipline to balance out the mental discipline of constructing
and solving equations that describe the physical world both seen and unseen.
When presented with the choice of whether to accept a full scholarship for graduate school and
develop equations to describe aviation aerodynamics on the quantum level, or pursue my first
love of painting . . . I chose my first love, I chose the path of the artist. My professors all thought
I was a bit crazy, but they wished me well and said I could return in one year if I changed my
mind. I never looked back. After all, engineering fundamentally taught me how to problem
solve . . . what could go wrong? I naively went forth, fully committing myself to learning the art
of painting and figuring out a way to turn my passion into a career.
Over the following 15 years, I sought out and apprenticed under a handful of living masters to
deepen my knowledge of the craft. During this time, I played a central role in the expansion of
Richard Schmid’s seminal work, “Alla Prima – Everything I know about Painting,” and authored
its companion book, “Alla Prima II: COMPANION,” which comprehensively explores the
processes that go into the creation of a painting —from the fundamental chemistry of preparing
grounds, to the alchemical nature of light. It was also during these years that I completed my first
painting series, the ‘Prelude’ collection. These paintings most notably reflect my fundamental
training as an artist, and consist of works created almost exclusively from life that rely heavily
upon direct observation of Nature, using ‘alla prima’ technique. The majority of the paintings
from this series have been sold to private collections around the world, with a signature piece
titled, “Materials and Tools”, residing in the permanent museum collection of the Mark Arts
Foundation.
Shortly after my book entered its second printing, I embarked on a 29-month solitary painting
retreat, where I withdrew inward to reconnect with that spark which guided me to initially create,
and bring into being a collection of paintings that had been living in my imagination since I first
picked up a brush. I documented my process during this time, and when I re-opened my studio
doors as the ‘Alchemy Visions’ collection was near completion, I began sharing insights into this
experience and the paintings that emerged from it on my website and social media avenues. I am
currently continuing to build and finish this collection while simultaneously meeting deadlines
for the galleries that represent my work, as well as continuing to build my business. This latest
collection is extremely important to me, and I didn’t want to compromise anything to create it, so
I am allowing it to take form in its own time. Paintings are funny like that, they often will let you
know when it’s their time to emerge, or if there are lessons needed first before you can progress
on them. If you are quiet and listen, they will guide you I find.
I recently re-designed my website and changed the name from my personal name to The Art of
Swatland. I added an e-commerce section, as well as a custom curation service. I believe the
adventure of collecting a piece of art to be a joyous experience and one of memorable
significance that marks the beginning of a life together full of wonder and imagination to be
shared with family and friends for generations to come. My hope with the curation service is to
provide an additional level of care, excitement and attention to detail to the process of collecting
a work of art.
I decided to also include my mother’s work on the new site, as I felt it was not only interesting to
see our works together, but important in order to offer a more in-depth look into the story behind
our artwork. I also plan to re-build the online educational section I had on my old website, and
expand it to include a free education section as well. I believe sharing knowledge is extremely
important. It not only helps us grow individually, but most importantly collectively, and expands
the language of the art of expression. There is much growth and expansion in the year ahead, and
I invite others to join along this journey as I grow the offerings on the new website. At the Art of
Swatland, we believe living with art to be an integral part of any home, as it offers a tangible way
to nourish imagination and inspire creativity. Art is a luxury we think should be available to
everyone, which is why we offer a wide variety of artworks in a wide range of prices. We have
small original sketches to large custom pieces that utilize the finest materials and tools available.
We offer prints, books, and most importantly custom printed notecards. We think some of the
best ways to send love to a friend or family member is through a thoughtful note with a beautiful
painting. It’s a small gesture that brightens someone’s day and leaves a lasting impact. We
believe the adventure of collecting a piece of art, large or small, should be a joyous experience
and one of memorable significance.

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

Some of the most rewarding work I have done thus far and has helped to build beautiful connections with clientele, has been offering custom commissions. To be able to recreate and
bring to life a memory for someone to live and enjoy with their family for generations to come is
such an honor. One of the first commissions I embarked on was to paint a field of Queen Anne’s
Lace on a large 4ft x 6ft canvas. The collector had grown up overlooking this field and wanted to
capture the memory from childhood. Before starting the large piece, I first created a series of
small sketches to express in paint the idea from the memory she shared with me. When she came
to my studio to look at the sketches for the first time, she was so overwhelmed and flooded with
wonderful memories from childhood, that they brought her to tears. She said I captured it just as
she remembered it. This was one of the most meaningful moments for me. I am always surprised
at the emotion a piece of art can evoke. It is powerful. In stillness art speaks.
When it came time to hang the large painting in her living room, she had her entire family there,
including her parents. It was an extremely special moment and I left that afternoon filled with
gratitude to be able to offer a painting to honor the memory of a very special time in her life that
will live on through her children and continue to create lasting memories. This to me is the most
fulfilling part of my work.
In terms of growing clientele, all of my commissions thus far have been through word of mouth.
I think a recommendation from a happy client can go a long way. I recommend continuing to
check in now and again with a thoughtful notecard to make sure everything is continuing to go
well. Continuing customer care after a purchase is made is important

Do you sell on your site, or do you use a platform like Amazon, Etsy, Cratejoy, etc?

I do have an Ecommerce section on my website, and so far I have found it to be wonderful. I do offer curation services when a client wishes for a more personal interaction when buying a work
of art, but often I find that many people just want a quick way to purchase something they fall in
love with. This is where the Ecommerce section has been invaluable. There is no waiting time,
and no matter where in the world, or the time-zone, the store is always open.
One thing I wanted to add here is the importance of multiple avenues in which people can learn
and interact with your work. Building relationships with either galleries, or representatives that
will help tell potential clients about you and your work is an invaluable asset.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.theartofswatland.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/katieswatland
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1228180255
• Youtube: www.youtube.com/c/katieswatland