

Today we’d like to introduce you to Laine Swanson.
Hi Laine, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
As far back as I can remember, I’ve been an artist. I was always creating and making messy projects, or borrowing “how to draw” books from the library. I have this very distinct memory at age nine, lying on the living floor watching my Grandfather draw a snowman and Santa Claus. My Grandfather was a very talented oil painter, and at that moment, I remember telling myself that I wanted to be as talented as he was.
In High School in White Bear Lake, I excelled at anatomy, physiology, biology, and kinesiology, I was on a path to a career in the medical field – whether I thought that was becoming a PT or a PA. But on my college application to Bethel University, art won my heart and I declared a Studio Art major.
Throughout my art major/art history minor, I had many great experiences, lessons, and professors. But also some not so great ones. In 2008, I had the opportunity to spend a semester in New York City, for an Art and Media Studies program. At this stage, I had declared my main focus as painting. Two weeks in, my painting professor told me I would never be a painter, that I didn’t have what it takes, my style was no good. As soul-crushing and confusing as that was, that criticism pushed me into trading my paintbrush for pencils. This is where my pointillism anatomical art journey began.
I created female-centered work, including my Fallopian Tubes I-IV series. But bringing that back home to the Midwest in ’08 was not well received. I experienced a lot of judgment and shame surrounding my work – as if the female body was taboo. And I felt forced to stifle and hide that part of me and my work. For the next 14 years, I would create “acceptable” generic art, continuing to feel lost as an artist, and believing in the things I was taught such as:
– Everything has been already been done before (so good luck being unique)
– Real artists don’t create “pretty” art
– Concept means everything…concept, concept, concept.
– And my own baggage of never thinking I could ever be good enough
In 2019, I spent most mornings with severe back and hip pain. Each morning I couldn’t walk normally. I couldn’t stand at the counter to get ready for work. I couldn’t put my pants or socks on. I couldn’t stand up straight or stand for more than 10 minutes at a time.
It was then that I processed my pain and my body’s structural issues by drawing Pelvis I (with Gladioli). This was the first time I combined anatomy with botany to accept my body and conditions; to have a cathartic experience seeing my body in a new way – the beauty, the pain, the hope and healing, the peace from acceptance, the determination to grow and move forward and be strong.
From there, I dove head first into “pretty” art, including custom commissions, expanding my anatomy and botany drawings from then to now, using graphite pencil, watercolor pencil, and India inks.
Over the past two years, it has been a joy and honor to get to share my work with the world. It has been so humbling to see and experience how my artwork touches others. From pain and sorrow and tears shared to the strength and hope that people receive from it. It is my childhood dream come true to not only find and love exactly what I should be creating, but to do it in a way that impacts people emotionally, physically, spiritually, and mentally – I am beyond grateful.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The struggles that stick out to me came at different stages in my career.
Some family members struggled with my choice to be an artist versus in medicine and I felt unsupported, which caused a lot of doubt and uncertainty.
Then there was the soul-crushing criticism from my NY professor that I’d never paint – which I had also heard from a High School teacher.
And today, I am finding that I’m fighting a lot of what I was taught, trying to unlearn certain rules and concepts that I find are limiting to artists. We don’t need to fit into a box of curriculum. And I feel like in college, I wasn’t nurtured or pushed at what I excelled at. The curriculum was restricting, and if we chose to break the rules and go outside of the concept of the project, we had better 1000% nail it or lose face with professors, peers and, therefore with ourselves.
Currently, I work full-time as an Office Manager. I think the biggest struggle for me now is TIME. From creating my art to marketing myself, learning how to make my passion into a business, building how my art business operates from the ground up – it’s a lot to manage. Luckily, my family and my wonderful husband, Josh, fully support and help me along the way,
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I’ve always called myself a “left-brained” artist. I am very methodical and love efficiency. I like to be in charge and create new systems and how things can operate better. So it’s funny to me how my decade-long career as an Office Manager in the construction industry translates to my creative side.
Specializing in technical drawing, I am known for using pointillism and cross-hatching techniques to create my anatomy drawings, along with bold and colorful botanical features. A few things that are highly important to me in my work are accuracy and negative space. I spend hours researching and re-working my templates to interpret the anatomy I choose perfectly and in way that makes sense. Negative space was something my education made of high importance. I find myself carefully planning the space I leave blank just as much as the imagery itself. It’s important to me that where I don’t draw still feel highly charged, energetic, and intentional.
The way that I choose the botany that pairs with the anatomy can be three-fold. One way is the meaning of the flower or plant itself. Another is what the colors mean. And lately, I have been choosing botany based on it’s structure and the way it represents or flows with the anatomy. Each piece takes roughly 100 hours from start to finish. I offer originals for purchase, as well as prints ranging from $18 – $150 USD.
What makes me proud is seeing how applicable my work is today for people. The way that others connect with it and feel about my work is a dream come true. I’m happy to have work that people can see themselves in, that it makes sense the way I care for each part of each piece, and the importance of our bodies. I’m also proud of my monthly Vlog, showing my behind the scenes to demonstrate my process and works in progress. I feel like this helps me connect to my audience, and help other artists throughout their process.
My favorite creations are Spine II (with Poppies), the Horse Leg (with Hydrangeas) commission for a local vet, and my current commission in progress for In Situ Archeological Consulting, LLC. This first commercial project has really pushed me. It has helped develop my skills outside of anatomy, using many different drawing techniques to capture not only images, but concepts and feelings like time, preservation, commemoration, all the while representing the company/people itself.
I have my first solo gallery show coming up soon! My work will be displayed at Ambiente Gallery in NE Minneapolis starting October 19th until February. I am very excited to be hosting an opening reception open to the public on Thursday, November 17th from 5PM-8PM.
What were you like growing up?
As a little girl, I was the quiet one sitting in the chair in the corner, watching….observing everything and everyone, contemplating if I wanted to participate or not. At two and half years old, I had undergone open heart surgery for a heart repair, and I think that impacted my shyness or being timid at that age. Growing up, my focus was definitely in athletics. I played softball, soccer and basketball. I was also very driven at school and getting straight A’s.
As an introverted teen, I enjoyed my alone time studying, drawing, or being outdoors.
Pricing:
- $18-20
- $35-45
- $70-110
- $135-150
- $650-2500
Contact Info:
- Website: laineswanson.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/laineswansonart/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/laineswansonart/