Painter and sculptor Laurel Swab was born in Louisville, Kentucky in 1969 and currently resides in Colorado.   She decided at an early age to follow in her father's footsteps and develop her skills as an artist.

Swab graduated with honors and received a B.F.A. in 1991 from the Kansas City Art Institute where she studied sculpture and fiber arts.  While attending K.C.A.I. she was exposed to a variety of media and still constantly seeks new processes and materials to further expand her visual vocabulary.

After graduating she returned to Colorado and took a job as a preparator at the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center, she later became their exhibit designer.  Throughout the duration of her job, handling and installing other artists work, she strove to produce and exhibit her own, and managed to do so in a number of galleries and institutions.  After ten years with the museum she decided to pursue her career as an artist full-time.

While primarily recognized as a sculptor, she was inspired to start painting after a trip to Italy in 1997.  Swab was moved by the romance, emotion and atmosphere of the "old master" paintings that surrounded her, and felt compelled to depict her visions in the same manner.  Her work is expressive, poignant and thought provoking.   It addresses issues of confrontation, cultural boundaries and personal evolution.  Swab has earned the respect of regional gallery owners, collectors and museum curators and directors.  Her work is in numerous private collections throughout the United States.

• EDUCATION
  • 1991:  BFA, Kansas City Art Institute
    • Kansas City, Missouri

• SELECTED EXHIBITIONS

• BY INVITATION
  • 2007:  Spring Forward: Four Colorado Artists
    • Fine Arts Center Modern, Colorado Springs, CO
  • 2003:  Nine Artists
    • Bryan and Scott, Colorado Springs, CO
  • 2003:  Life,Death and In-Between
    • William Havu Gallery, Denver, CO
  • 2003:  Body and Soul
    • Smokebrush Foundation for the Arts, Colorado Springs, CO
  • 2001:  Something New: Contemporary Regional Artists
    • one of three featured artists, Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center
  • 2001:  Art History 101
    • Gallery of Contemporary Art at U.C.C.S., Colorado Springs, CO
  • 2000:  Artesia: 50 of the Areas Most Influential Artists
    • The Business of Art Center, Manitou Springs,CO
  • 2000:  Pikes Peak Legacy: Art of the Century From the Pikes Peak Region
    • Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center
  • 1998:  Turning Digital Photography into Art
    • Gallery of Contemporary Art at U.C.C.S., Colorado Springs, CO
  • 1997:  Inside Out
    • Gallery of Contemporary Art at U.C.C.S., Colorado Springs, CO
  • 1996:  At the Speed of Light
    • Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center, Colorado Springs, CO
  • 1995:  All Mixed Up
    • The Permanent Professor's Art Gallery, U.S.A.F.A., C.S., CO
  • 1991:  The Woven Image
    • Vanderslice Hall, Kansas City, MO

• JURIED EXHIBITIONS
  • 2002:  Colorado 2002: A Juried Exhibition of Contemporary Art
    • Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center, Colorado Springs, CO
  • 2000:  Arches
    • Tri Lakes Center for the Arts, Monument, CO
  • 1999:  Form '99, national sculpture exhibition
    • Business of Art Center, Manitou Springs, CO
  • 1998:  Colorado '98, statewide juried exhibition
    • Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center, Colorado Springs, CO

• ONE & TWO PERSON EXHIBITIONS
  • 2000:  Fragments of a Journey, two-person exhibition
    • Sangre de Cristo Art Center, Pueblo, CO
  • 2000:  Café Gallery featured artist
    • The Business of Art Center
  • 1998:  Achieving Balance, two-person exhibition
    • Studio 1818, Denver, CO
  • 1998:  This Time With Feeling, two-person exhibition
    • Thunderstruck Gallery, Colorado Springs, CO
  • 1997:  Sculpture from the Mind and Heart, two-person exhibition
    • Thunderstruck Gallery, Colorado Springs, CO
  • 1996:  Object Found, two-person exhibition
    • Thunderstruck Gallery, Colorado Springs, CO
  • 1994:  When Souls Take Flight, one-person exhibition
    • The Gallery Upstairs, Manitou Springs, CO
  • 1991:  Laurel Swab, one-person exhibition
    • The Downtown Studio, Colorado Springs, CO

• RECOGNITIONS
  • 2002:  Awarded "Best Visual Artist, 2002" by the Pikes Peak Arts Council
  • 1999:  "Juror's Award for Formal Concerns", Form '99
  • 1999: "Architect's Award", Form '99
  • 1998:  Invited speaker/artist for the "National Conference on Inclusive Education"
  • 1990:  Graduated with Honors from the Kansas City Art Institute

• REPRESENTED BY
  • WILLIAM HAVU GALLERY
  • 1040 Cherokee St.
  • Denver, CO 80204
  • (303)893-2360
  • williamhavugallery.com
  • BRYAN AND SCOTT
  • 112-114 N. Tejon St.
  • Colorado Springs, CO 80903
  • (719)633-9316