Michael Swanson

Travels with Brush and Canvas

Michael Swanson was born in Mecklenburg, Germany. Trapped behind the Iron Curtain for years, the family finally escaped to the West and moved to North America during the 1960’s.

Reflecting on all this he views life as a lottery, “You either win or cease to exist”. He credits two things that made it possible to live his artist’s lifestyle, an extraordinary insight into things and a natural-born artistic talent. Largely self-taught, he credits mentors who instilled confidence in his early artistic abilities, leading to a host of awards and membership in The Society of Illustrators (Los Angeles).

With the move to North America, Michael’s art career began to flourish. Over three decades, it started by having fun making pictures, then on to the demanding, deadline world of commercial illustration, and now once again having fun painting pictures.

His favorite pastime is painting landscapes mostly in oils on canvas, particularly Europe’s Mediterranean region which many great artists before him have chosen because of its unique light quality and ambience.

These days Swanson chooses subjects by challenges he feels he has yet to conquer. Working from his Century Home Studio, he produces a limited number of original oils each year bought or commissioned by serious private collectors with most remaining works sold through various galleries.

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