Vicki Swords  

Vicki recalls back in second grade, when her teacher posted her drawings on the wall, that there was something different about her crayon art. The teacher had read a short story about a boy, a dog and a long road. She illustrated the road on the blackboard as two parallel lines going straight up. Then the assignment: “take out your colors and paper and draw a picture from the story…something like this” pointing to the straight line road on the board. Vicki instinctively knew that the road should be curved. To make a long story short, she drew a curvy road. Nobody else did. She was different. She heard differently; she saw differently and sometimes she expresses that in drawings and in her art.

A junior high teacher encouraged her to pursue art. He inspired her to want to learn and grow in that area. Sometimes, Vicki feels as though the only explanation for her art is God’s inspiration. Her faith is a major part of who she is and she feels she is best able to paint when she believes God is showing her something. For her, painting is easier than trying to explain something. She believes her art speaks. Usually there is a message behind the piece; often it’s not hers.

For the most part, she is self-taught, although she majored in commercial art at Texas Woman’s University in Denton, TX. Over time, she simply tried to express what she was seeing and feeling. Drawing or painting is real therapy for her in body, soul and spirit. Vicki often finds inspiration in going for walks. She finds that nature seems to ooze with the Master Artist’s design and intent. After taking time off to raise her two children, Vicki’s passion was resurrected when she was asked to do a couple of paintings for a “prophetic arts” conference in her church in the early 1990’s. She doesn’t’ know what came over her. She found herself painting “large” art that was much bigger in both physical size and interpretation than she felt she could do.

Although acrylics had been her favored medium, she began to develop an interest in charcoal pencil. After taking a few classes, she found watercolors as a whole new form of expression.

Vicki believes her passion for art has always been with her. She hopes that others will find it to be a gift to them.