Where the Heart Lives
As one coins the phrase “Home is where the heart lives” it is fair to say that your heart lives inside your body physically, however there is a deeper meaning to this phrase that can be contemplated. Consider for a moment, that one’s spiritual heart is the place where your conscience, emotions and desires live. Home is the place a person wishes to be, the place that gives one peace, joy, and comfort to be there. The place to go where dreams are safe and peacefulness is known.
“Calgary Artist Ray Swirsky is bringing Western Canada landscapes to life in spectacular form.
For an artist, it can be said that where their spiritual heart lives may be the root of their creative flow or said inspiration. For one local artist this appears to be true as the embodiment of his work is that of mountain ranges and wildlife, indicative of the area. Ray Swirsky a Calgary based artist says, “I most like to paint landscapes and wildlife from Western Canada”, which in of its-self suggests it is a subject matter close to his heart.
Ray began painting in the fall of 2014 and has gained notable recognition in the art community ever since. His artwork has been juried into exhibitions with works being sold throughout Canada, USA, and the UK. He is a member of the Federation of Canadian Artists (AFCA) and the Alberta Society of Artists (ASA) and was selected to be an exhibiting artist at the Western Showcase at the Calgary Exhibition and Stampede for the past two years, which is one of Ray’s proudest moments to date in his artistic career.
Although Ray has no formal education in the arts, he certainly has a talent for it. Ray has a firm grasp on the fundamentals of light, value, and intensity, all concepts which he was quick to grasp an understanding of. He displays an astute ability to create a true sense of atmosphere when painting his landscapes, creating both depth and nostalgia in partnered success.
“For a list of Ray Swirsky’s artwork, upcoming exhibitions or to see more of his portfolio please visit his website at: https://www.reswirsky.com or visit The Painted Moose Studio in Bragg Creek.
Ray Swirsky works with both brush and pallet knife creating works that vary in expression from realism to a freer nearly abstract interpretation of realism. No matter whether painting in his home studio or painting plein air, he maintains his focus is to always improve on his skill development each time he sets his brush to canvas.
Growing up in the small town of Kimberley, BC, Ray says, “he has never lost his connection with nature, his love of the mountains and western landscapes”. A large proponent of his work is evidence of this love, his attachment to home. He does paint other subject matter including portraits, still lives and action scenes and thoroughly enjoys commission work. From brilliantly colourful street scenes to wild buffalo roaming the plains or bear cubs climbing a tree this is a painter who no doubt in a few short years has mastered his brush and technique.
Exploring Western Canada’s picturesque landscapes and wildlife through Ray’s artwork is a true delight, as there is a pleasant warmth and peacefulness that his work exudes. Even his newer cityscapes where he is experimenting with light, reflecting on rain watered streets at night portray a warmth that is both welcoming and engaging- a testimony to his skills as an artist. There is an attention to detail that goes unaltered throughout his work, as he leaves no stone unturned from the most forefront imagery to the vista’s way off in the distance.
Each painting is a place the viewer has been, wishes to go or offers a unique perspective the viewer would love to experience firsthand. Whether it's mountain views, buffalo, bears or street scenes Ray accomplishes that which most artists aspire to-seamless and tactical artistic expression that is the most pleasing to the eye. For some, any one image may be just the thing that transports that viewer home to that spiritual place where their heart lives. It certainly does for this writer.
