Swansea’s paintings are characterised by their ambiguity. They are at once uncannily familiar yet lack a discernible narrative or identification, instead creating a sense of hazy recollection or an elusive dream. Swansea sees her work as flexible; the reading can alter depending on who is looking at it. The ephemerality of her work is further emphasised by the way in which she prepares her canvases and applies paint to their surfaces. In NC woods, 2019, Swansea employs a layered ground of graphite and pigment to build a dark, reflective surface, allowing the light to catch areas of colour that appear to shimmer across the canvas.

The composition depicts a dense forest interior, drawing from the wooded landscapes of North Carolina where Swansea spent her childhood. At first glance, it seems like a straightforward image of trees and undergrowth, but the details remain intentionally indistinct. The scene hovers between clarity and abstraction, as bands of colour dissolve into one another and the outlines of trees fade into deep space. As with other works in the series, NC woods creates a mood of quiet tension, its stillness interrupted only by the viewer's shifting perception. The work resists interpretation, functioning instead as a surface for memory, projection and uncertainty. Swansea’s painting does not offer answers, only an atmosphere of dislocation and reflection.