Sedona’s Favorite Art Gallery and Gift Shop

Ceramicist Patricia Swanson Showcased in August at Village Gallery of Local Artists

The Village Gallery of Local Artists invites art lovers and collectors to celebrate the beauty of the natural world through the work of ceramicist Patricia Swanson, as its Featured Artist for August 2026, with a reception on Friday, August 7th, from 5 to 8 p.m. Guests can meet Swanson and speak to her about her creative process. Light refreshments will be served.

Swanson’s work captures the magical nature imagery that lovers of Sedona and the Southwest seek to bring home. From the moon over the red rocks to hummingbirds and the Kokopelli, her intricate clay work also brings these features to life and three dimensions. “Nature has always been my greatest inspiration,” she explains. “The mountains, the oceans and waterways, the birds, the animals, and the trees in this great land all have a story waiting to be told through clay.” Her work invites viewers to slow down and appreciate the beauty in their surroundings.

She creates her one-of-a-kind hand-built pieces using a unique sculptural process known as Bas-relief (pronounced bah-ri-LEEF). With this technique, the subject matter is slightly raised from a flat background, resulting in depth and intricate detail.

Another process Swanson uses in her work is sgraffito, where she applies layers of colored clay or underglaze to the surface, then carves away from those layers to reveal contrasting colors. The name comes from the Italian sgraffiare, meaning “to scratch” and the technique was popularized during the Italian Renaissance. Swanson combines sgraffito with intricate hand carving to create rich texture.

Her journey with her current artistic medium began over two decades ago, when she moved to Sedona. In clay’s three-dimensional possibilities, she found the perfect blend of drawing, carving, sculpture, and texture. What began as a new artistic pursuit became the focus of her creative life and career.

A veteran, Swanson’s artistic career began after her service in the U.S. Army as a cargo specialist. “I’ve been a working artist since my college days at the Art Institute of Seattle, where I airbrushed small commission jobs – . . . murals and advertisement signs for small businesses.” After college, Swanson moved back to her hometown of Minneapolis. There, she worked in custom frame shops, cutting mats, building frames, and preparing artwork for display, as well as working for several large corporate printing companies as a printing press operator.

Join us for an intimate evening celebrating the work of Patricia Swanson, from 5 to 8 p.m. on Friday, August 7th. The Village Gallery is located at 6512 State Route 179, in the Village of Oak Creek, and is always accepting applications for unique art and new membership in our cooperative style gallery. For more information, go to sedonalocalartists.com or phone (928) 284-1416.