Lisa Swifka

My name is Lisa Swifka. A Northern Calif. (born and raised) gal who is part whimsy, part bohemian. I am an artist. A wife. A Mom to two cats and a dog.
As the only girl among 5 siblings I always stood out. I stood out not only because of my gender but also for my other differences. Growing up I didn’t like or gravitate to anything my brothers liked or did…..I liked art and storytelling/writing and reading fairy tales (other books) and pretending/dreaming. As a child I would write little plays and get the neighborhood kids together to script and direct them with the end result being performances for all the mothers (most of the Moms on my block were stay at home Moms). Sometimes they took the form of variety shows or a haunted house in the garage. I did scenery or props for both. The love of using my imagination was evident very early on. I was in dance and piano classes starting at the age of 3 but as I got older, I sadly, didn’t stick with either. Oh I can shuffle, hop, step……and read music…..but looking back wish I had mastered both. Truth be told, I wish I could sing and dance. I wanted to act but had stage fright, which if you knew me you may not believe that (but it’s true). All of the “arts” intrigued me but drawing and writing stories was something I never let go of. In my early teens I dreamed of owning a convertible VW Beetle that I could drive to the beach with an easel and some paint. I dreamed of living by the ocean. In 1970 Joni Mitchell released the album Ladies of the Canyon….it was then I knew I wanted to be one of the women she described in her song of the same name. Her music is the main thing I still listen to today while working in my studio. I have the same exact sensibility today as I did then. Though I still don’t live by the ocean it’s only a 40 minute drive away. And I did end up having a VW Beetle once but it wasn’t a convertible. It’s the love of a simpler life with the person I love, creating art….imagining…..dreaming….. telling stories…..constantly reinventing my homes interior….. And having amazing kindred women friends as well…..that is what is important to me.
I can still hear my Mom saying to people, even when she was older and not in good health…”my daughter is SO clever”……she was my biggest fan!
Blogging:
I began blogging a little over six years ago (at this writing) - what happened was extraordinary to say the least. I had 2 other blogs before this one……..it was on the second blog that I decided to create a blog event. I had lost my Mom and oldest brother 2 months prior and needed a focus. I wanted to find a way for bloggers to find one another, connect, get to know each other, find commonalities etc. So I created One World One Heart that ran for 5 consecutive years (during which I settled here on this blog). The event grew with each year. You can read the history of that event (see sidebar). But also through blogging I found a “tribe” of artists I have come to love, some of which I have had the pleasure to meet in person. Some have been through email and phone conversations or by merely reading one another’s blogs. Whichever way it is there are amazing people to be found who inspire me and hopefully I can inspire. Art began it all…..

My Art:

(coming soon)