N. Swanberg

N. Swanberg, 2026
Acrylic on Canvas
10 x 10 x 1.5 in

Signed on Back

Model: N. Swanberg

This work is part of The Tracy Piper's "SEEN Volume 5" the fifth iteration of a collaborative art project of 50 eye paintings that were made during the Spring of 2025. For this series, the artist organized an open call for her collectors, fans, and fellow artists to be featured as one of her models. Each participant answered the same question: What does it mean to feel seen? Each painting and response is featured in the artist’s sixth book aptly titled "SEEN Volume 5".

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO FEEL SEEN?

"Back in the mid-2000s, I worked for a county road commission in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. I was the only woman in the organization. The foreman called me a hooker and a squaw, and he rubbed up against me. This was my workplace. I did not go there looking for belonging; I went there to work. Instead, I endured an abuse of power, and when I raised concerns, leadership did not believe me. Being unseen is not invisibility; it is being visible and dismissed, doubted, and diminished. I kept showing up, did my job, and eventually hired an attorney. The foreman was fired. It was not a triumphant moment, but a clarifying one.

One year later, I stood at my first practice with the Sirens Paddling Club, a women’s dragon boat racing team in Portland OR. I looked around at so many sizes and shapes—women unapologetically strong, smart, driven, and taking up space without explanation. No one here was shrinking, bracing, or negotiating their power. We pushed off, and I realized dragon boat isn’t about individual effort; it’s about timing. When we synchronized, the boat flew. After practice, I asked the coach if I made the team. She didn’t hesitate: “You belong here.” Being seen is not flattery; it is recognition without suspicion, strength acknowledged without question, and space given without negotiation. At the road commission, power was used to diminish. On that river, power was shared and multiplied by unity.

The best dragon boat teams move as one, every paddle entering and exiting the water together. Strength, synchronized. Seen, and strong. Paddles up!" —N. Swanberg

HANGING & CARE

Artwork is ready to hang on the wall; hanging wire is secured on the back (nail and hook needed). Dust raw canvas with a clean, soft brush and HEPA-filtered vacuum to clean. Using a new, clean brush prevents transfer of grime from previous dustings.