Lindsay "Fancy Pants" Swan Bio
Lindsay "Fancy Pants" Swan
Lindsay “Fancy Pants” Swan, working in sculpture, painting, and printmaking, exhibits her interest in the origins of early human religion. Much of Swan's imagery stems from field research in South America studying shamanistic culture in the Amazon.
In 2009, Swan began working with a collective of Visionary artists through the Hive Gallery and the Temple of Visions in Los Angeles, California. In 2011, she continued to train in Ernst Fuchs' Misch Tecknik. Under the tutelage of Amanda Sage, Laurence Caruana, and A. Andrew Gonzalez, Swan was introduced to various painting techniques using egg tempera. These techniques were lost in the 1500s, and later revitalized in the early 1900s with the Arts and Crafts movement.
Swan began an association with The Merry Pranksters in 2010. Her experiences with this group have had a deep impact on much of Swan's imagery. Originally led by Ken Kesey, celebrated writer and revolutionary, The Merry Pranksters became well known for their “Happenings,” made famous by Tom Wolfe’s accounts in his book The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test. These Happenings featured a band later known as The Grateful Dead.
In 2010, Swan painted a 6 ft. x 6 ft. mural on the upper deck of the Furthur Bus. During this time, Swan was given the nickname “Fancy Pants” by Ken's son, Zane Kesey. Swan continued to collaborate with the group as a live music performance painter at many of their “Happenings” around San Francisco and various parts of Oregon.
Steeped in the mystical, surrealistic, and animistic, Swan continues to tap into her subconscious dream state to develop imagery. Like William Blake, her imagery subjects are journeys of the mind. It is said that Blake kept his method of producing monotypes a closely guarded secret. Swan is currently experimenting by mixing her knowledge of egg tempera techniques into printmaking in an effort to discover the lost techniques of William Blake.
Swan continues to perform in the United States and shows in galleries internationally.