Artist Statement

I am an Artist.

My art captures expression or expresses emotion.

I primarily paint portraits in oils,

but am comfortable in most any medium.

About Me

Rickey Schwed was born in Brooklyn, NY into an ultra-orthodox, Hassidic family. Schwed’s childhood home was blighted by intergenerational trauma, a common affliction among families of Holocaust survivors like hers. Raised to speak only Yiddish and afforded only a minimal secular education, Schwed freed herself from her oppressive community at the age of 16 and put herself through college independently, earning an AS from SUNY Rockland Community College, a BS from SUNY New Paltz and a post-baccalaureate degree in art education from Ramapo College. As a young adult, Schwed exhibited her work in New York City, North Jersey, and the lower Hudson Valley. She then spent over a decade living in Marblehead, MA, regularly showing her work on Massachusetts’ North Shore. She was a featured artist on the show Imagination, which aired on MHTV. She is an artist member, juried in at the Marblehead Arts Association, and is often the volunteer host of the portrait drop ins at the MAA. Schwed is particularly interested in portraiture and works primarily in oil paint, pastel, charcoal, and pencil. She prefers drawing and painting from life, challenging herself to capture both a model’s likeness and expression. After unexpectedly losing her husband in 2018, Schwed made the decision to move her family to the Ocala National Forest. In Florida she is healing herself with art and music, surrounded by nature and animals. When she is not making art, she enjoys spending time with her four children, often riding her horse or kayaking in the spring.

Photo by J. Danielle Wehunt

Contact Me