As a child the only thing I liked about church was the art. The art told stories in a direct but mysterious way. It interested me and I thought it was a wonderful way of communicating. The stories in artworks are not linear. The whole story is there to be seen in the order the viewer wishes to see it. The art I enjoy the most are the pieces that can change or reveal new and different readings when seen over time. As an artist I start my drawings and paintings with figures or objects that are connected to what I have seen, or have lived, or have pondered. I choose the color and patterns of the space as a way to weave the story of those figures together. Sometimes I think of the figures and their surroundings like a play. The figures are the actors . The paint and the pencil, the pattern and the color make the set and provide a space for the story to be revealed. Carroll Swenson-Roberts