Emily Swierzbin

Bachelor of Applied Arts

As a multidisciplinary artist, I experiment with many different mediums, with printmaking being my principal concentration. I also enjoy sculpture, painting, jewelry making, and fibre arts. Through my art, I can explore themes of nature, emotion, human connection, and self-discovery.

I am constantly inspired by nature in almost everything I do and create. The earth is very important to me, and this heavily influences the ways in which I produce things. I am always looking for ways to incorporate things I already have, as opposed to buying new materials. I try to recycle or upcycle whenever I can, as an attempt to reduce waste in my artistic practices. This often leads to using everyday, readymade objects, such as the pill bottles in “Medicated”. I also like making use of found objects and elevating them to a new level, breathing new life into otherwise mundane or discarded objects, like the photographs in the “Upcycled Vacations” series.

Because nature is my primary inspiration, I often find myself creating prints with natural imagery, like flowers. I’m not too concerned about making them look naturalistic. Instead, I explore the natural shapes through line and bright, saturated colors. This sometimes even involves adding abstract or geometric elements. I also enjoy producing art made with natural objects, such as leaves, flowers, seeds, etc. This strengthens my connection to the world around me.