David Schwindt graduated from Fort Lewis College
in Durango, CO with a major in fine art and a minor in music, but he did not make a
commitment to becoming a professional artist until he moved to the Albuquerque area in
1973. In the 25 years since he made that choice, his work has become some of the most
sought after landscape art in Northern New Mexico, garnering numerous honors including
three first place awards in oil at the New Mexico State Fair.
Although influenced in his early years by modern art movements, his art has gradually
evolved into a form of representational landscape painting derivative of the Hudson River
School and the American Luminists. The influences of Cezanne and artists as diverse as
J.M. W. Turner, Thomas Moran, Paul Klee and Wayne Thiebaud have helped shape his art into
a personal vision based on his interaction with Nature and his feelings for the
environment.
Schwindt explains, "My paintings are about light and how various kinds of light -
morning, evening, high noon, twilight and even the four seasons – effect the way we
perceive an object and especially our natural environment. They are also about the rhythms
in Nature, the movement of light and the accents of darks as found in shadows and planes
turned away from the light. These ideas of light and color and natural rhythms, as well as
the literal subjects in my paintings become a metaphor of the spirit and allow me to
ponder the mystery of life".
Schwindt paints plein aire, spending numerous hours in the out of doors perfecting his
skills in capturing the wonders of Nature. He recently completed an arduous 8-day rafting
trip into the Grand Canyon along with 15 other artists who wanted to experience the
challenge of on-site painting first hand.. I was totally amazed by the geology, color and
light along the river", he noted. "The canyon walls rose above our heads and
caused the light to change more quickly than I ever imagined. I would set up for a
painting because of a particular light pattern and end up painting a second panel with
completely different light in the same spot. Actually being on location helps impart an
emotional quality to your paintings that can never be achieved in the studio".
