Hello and thanks for stopping by.  My name is Gwen Sylvester.  In my younger days I was known as Gwen Clardy.  This is the place where I will tell you a little about myself and my past as it relates to my art.

     I hold a Bachelor's degree in Art from University of California at Davis.  Some of my art training was at UC Berkeley, Chico State University and University of North Texas.  Many of my past instructors are well known artists.  Included are:  Robert Arneson, Michael Lucero, Wayne Thiebaud,  Cornelia Schulz,  Julie Bozzi,  Gillian Hodge, David Hollowell,  Roland Petersen and Peter Voulkos.  I've taken workshops with Pulitzer prize winning poet  Gary Snyder and composer John Cage .   I also studied under professor of psychology and author ("Altered States of Consciousness") Charles Tart while at UC Davis.  My art has won awards in both Texas and California. 

    Working with images gleaned from the unconscious, I draw from dream material, mythology and fairy tales (see galleries 1, 3 and 4).   During the warm months I enjoy painting on site, plein air landscapes or seascapes.  I especially enjoy painting while at anchor near the islands on the Maine seacoast (see gallery 5 ).  Whether I'm working outdoors or I'm working in the studio, cats are definitely a favorite subject  (see Gallery 2).  Other favorite creatures include wild birds, geese, insects, horses, and turtles.

    When I'm sculpting or working with collage and assemblage I love to work with found and recycled objects. I walk to the seashore or hike in the country and drag home everything from interesting pieces of wood, seaglass, shells,  chards,  old bones,  seed pods,  all which I use for creating art.  I also gather bits and pieces of discarded manmade materials to incorporate into assemblage.  I was clothing designer 'Venus de Mylar" for one of the Haute Trash fashion shows in Nevada City, California where I created unusual clothing out of found objects. 

    Having a working relationship with artists who are handicapped or mentally challenged has made me a fan of outsider art.  I was instructor in the sculpture and ceramics department at the Neighborhood Center for the Arts in Grass Valley California- an art program for developmentally disabled adults of all ages that has attracted serious art collectors for decades.  I enjoy collecting paintings, sculptures and  handmade objects by unknown artists who work in an original and inspired way. 

   When I was a teenager I began to show and sell my art. I come from a family of artists. My sister Ann Ekstrom  is a painter as well as my mother, the late Beth Clardy. Both were students at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art. My mother was well respected for her lifelong commitment to the arts in Texas and was honored with the Distinguished Artist Award in Ft. Worth in 2004 shortly before her death in 2004. My sister Ann is well known in the South and Southwest for her large scale oil paintings. My brother John, and nephews John and Britt are all performing musicians. While living in Texas and later on while living in California I traveled extensively through Mexico where the bright hues in the architecture and textiles as well as the milagros, ex-votos and mysteriosos caught my imagination. In Northern California I continued my education in the UC system, worked for the Nevada County Arts Council and the Neighborhood Center for the Arts.
   
   I now live in Maine on the seacoast where I live a fairly quiet life with my husband and cats.  In Maine there is a long tradition that gives permission to go inward during the cold months to brew something creative from within (or something wicked- take your pick!).  My husband and companion, Lucas is understanding of  the many hours I spend at my various creative projects.  We both tend to be introverts.  He is a sculptor and a practicing therapist in the Jungian tradition.  We have collaborated on projects incorporating found objects , especially seaglass and other items that have washed up on the shore.   If it weren't for Lucas's love of boating I wouldn't be getting out on the water doing paintings of the beautiful islands that are all along the Maine Coast.

   I live near Wyeth country where the Farnsworth Museum and Wyeth Center are only blocks away. The realist tradition here in Maine has affected my art.   On the mid-coast region in particular, a strange and unreal realism prevails.  There is a long tradition of  painting outdoors in Maine.   Like many other artists I try to capture her powerful Northern seasonal rhythms.  I continue to work on my painting  technique and have found some terrific oil paints made with a traditional walnut oil base with a buttery consistency that makes it possible to paint without using harsh solvents. I've recently found that their acrylic paints are excellent as well.  They are made by M. Graham & Company, a small manufacturing company based in Oregon.