Lynn Schwebach

Flowers bring me into a state of bearable lightness—a scaffolding for growth.

I paint with vibrant oil color and rich textures, surrendering control to unexpected discoveries. Working with thick oil paint on clay board, often layered over acrylic, I use both traditional and nontraditional tools to apply and remove pigment. In my studio, ice scrapers, plastic sheeting, Tinkertoys, and sticks gathered from my garden sit alongside brushes. I scrape, reapply, and glaze the surface, navigating a shifting balance between chaos and control. Through this process, organic bouquets and fields emerge, imbued with a sense of discovery and promise.

I aim to create work that offers viewers a sense of agency—a quiet motivation to reach beyond themselves. Like the flowers I paint, the work embraces unpredictability, revealing possibility through its unfolding.

I began my professional life as a journalist before turning to photography, where I developed a deep appreciation for visual storytelling. This interplay of image and narrative led me to pursue formal training in drawing and painting, including university study and, more recently, an intensive academic drawing program at an atelier in Denver.

My artistic language merges realism with contemporary abstraction, often through imagery rooted in botanical and subtly abstracted landscapes. I have exhibited in over 35 juried shows, and my work is held in collections across the United States, Vietnam, and Australia. A recent honorable mention reignited my commitment to growth—echoing the persistence of the flowers I paint.

I live and work in Fort Collins, Colorado, and continue to seek out new environments and experiences that expand how I approach perception, place, and transformation.