Exhibition Reception & Artist Talk with Richard Swanson, Rhythm & Whimsy

Exhibition Reception & Artist Talk: Friday, March 14th, 2025 | 5:30 – 7:30pm

Artist Statement:

Richard Swanson began this series of small-scale metal sculptures in 2013 after a decade of creating monumental public sculpture. The intimate scale of this body of work offers a level of spontaneity difficult to achieve in larger works, reflecting a freer use of color, form and line, embracing an improvisational and syncopated style of working that is as much about process and play as the final product. Swanson considers these sculptures visual poems whose colorful rhythms suggest a story or fragment of a dream. With a large portion of his career dedicated to large scale and public works, Swanson explores space and scale freely, using size to either envision the individual works as studies for larger pieces, or as playful poetic quips standing complete all on their own. Rhythm and Whimsy illustrates Swanson’s understanding of line, form, balance and rhythm to create three-dimensional line drawings that bounce brightly like jazz phrases – no hidden meanings but spontaneous and lyrical, with the interval between notes as essential as the notes themselves.