Helga Schweininger signed original oil painting, titled “Afraid of Drowning” per the artist’s inscription on the verso. Canvas measures 20″ x 24″. An atmospheric bayou scene: a stand of dark, wind-swept cypress trees rises from still water beneath a hazy lavender-pink twilight sky, their reflections rippling below. Two glittering, textured silver-white teddy bear figures anchor the composition – one perched among the trees on a small dark mound, watching as the other reclines in a red boat adrift on the open water. Moody and evocative, with a quiet, storybook melancholy. Signed “Helga” in paint, lower left. The artist, Helga Schweininger, was born and raised in the countryside near Graz, Austria, where she graduated from the Handelsakademie business college. She relocated to Southern California in 1962 following her marriage to her husband Ferdinand, and the couple settled in Costa Mesa, CA, where she has lived since. In addition to painting, she authored two published books: “Betrayal Of Lieschen’s Heart” (2004) and “Beyond Betrayal – Beyond Humanity: A Fictionalized Biography” (2012). This piece stands out for its atmospheric bayou setting and textured, sculptural figures – a moody, evocative folk/outsider art painting with genuine emotional pull. CONDITION: Front is clean and stable with no visible tears or losses. Verso is clean as well, only minor age-related marks. DIMENSIONS: 20″ x 24″ (unframed canvas). MEDIUM: Oil on canvas. SIGNATURE: “Helga” lower left, in paint. PROVENANCE: Costa Mesa, CA estate collection.
