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Thomas Swanston Art

American, b. 1956

Painter Thomas Swanston captures the life-changing experience of observing a natural migration. When the Atlanta-based painter witnessed flocks of birds in the sky over his farm one day, he became fascinated with Sandhill cranes, an interest which would change the trajectory of his art.

Swanston began annual trips to the Central Platte River Valley in Nebraska to photograph and observe the over 600,000 birds that migrate through the area. Swanston witnessed how the birds’ travels are rhythmic, with a pattern of departure and return, and are part of the natural flow of the planet. 

Drawing on these first-hand experiences, he depicts the cranes through a host of media and techniques. He uses materials ranging from gold leaf, silver and pewter to oxidized copper, palladium and gouache. The gilding allows his paintings to change according to the light.

A 1978 graduate from Hobart and William Smith Colleges, Swanston complemented his Bachelor of Arts degree with studies at the New York Studio School. After enrolling in 1980, he became one of the first to earn a Master of Fine Arts degree from the Parsons School of Design and met his wife and fellow artist, Gail Foster. Together, they now run their own art center, StudioSwan.

Swanston later attended AIR Serenbe, a nonprofit that connects individuals to nature. He played a major role in founding its art program, which continues to support artists today.

Swanston has exhibited his work in numerous solo and group shows. His art is in private collections around the world, including Ritz-Carlton hotels in the United Arab Emirates, Japan and China and Four Seasons hotels in California, Wyoming and Morocco.

Swanston and his wife continue to share their passions for art and nature from their studios in Chattahoochee Hills, Georgia.

On 1stDibs, find a collection of Thomas Swanston’s paintings and mixed media.

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Flying Past Blue: Contemporary Abstract Gold Leaf Painting
Flying Past Blue: Contemporary Abstract Gold Leaf Painting

Flying Past Blue: Contemporary Abstract Gold Leaf Painting

By Thomas Swanston

Located in Atlanta, GA

This painting is in excellent condition and has only been shown in a gallery setting. Please note that given the characteristics of the silver and gold leafing the work will photogr...

Category

2010s Contemporary Thomas Swanston Art

Materials

Gold Leaf

Fugue Triptych
Fugue Triptych

Fugue Triptych

By Thomas Swanston

Located in Atlanta, GA

This painting is in excellent condition and has only been shown in a gallery setting. Please note that given the characteristics of the silver and gold leafing the work will photogr...

Category

2010s Contemporary Thomas Swanston Art

Materials

Gold Leaf

Farewell
Farewell

Farewell

By Thomas Swanston

Located in Atlanta, GA

This painting is in excellent condition and has only been shown in a gallery setting. Please note that given the characteristics of the silver and gold leafing the works will photograph and look different under various types of light. Using gilded shapes intertwined with abstract washes of color and light, Swanston creates paintings that visually evolve and transform in conjunction with the natural light of a passing day. He brings the beauty of nature into the home and captures the idea that art originates not only through personal introspection, but through the contemplation of nature and place. The environment plays a key role in the construction of Swanston’s paintings and guides the context of each work. Underneath the gold leaf and acrylic paint lies a deeper conversation about species preservation and habitat loss, both conservation efforts important to the artist. Swanston utilizes beauty as the vehicle by which he entices the viewer and provides the bridge for a critical discussion about environmental protection. Thomas Swanston was born 1956 in Annapolis Md...

Category

2010s Contemporary Thomas Swanston Art

Materials

Gold Leaf

Sunset Glow
Sunset Glow

Sunset Glow

By Thomas Swanston

Located in Atlanta, GA

This painting is in excellent condition and has only been shown in a gallery setting. Please note that given the characteristics of the silver and gold leafing the work will photogr...

Category

2010s Contemporary Thomas Swanston Art

Materials

Gold Leaf

"Migration of Silver Geece" Large Painting of Birds and Trees with Gold Leaf
"Migration of Silver Geece" Large Painting of Birds and Trees with Gold Leaf

"Migration of Silver Geece" Large Painting of Birds and Trees with Gold Leaf

By Thomas Swanston

Located in Austin, TX

Mixed Media on Canvas 50 x 56 in. A stunningly beautiful painting that portrays the grace and wild beauty of migrating geese with a combination of naturalistic subject matter and ab...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Neo-Expressionist Thomas Swanston Art

Materials

Gold Leaf

A Glimmer of Green Hope
A Glimmer of Green Hope

A Glimmer of Green Hope

By Thomas Swanston

Located in Atlanta, GA

This painting is in excellent condition and has only been shown in a gallery setting. Please note that given the characteristics of the silver and gold leafing the work will photogr...

Category

2010s Contemporary Thomas Swanston Art

Materials

Gold Leaf

Deep into Twilight

Deep into Twilight

By Thomas Swanston

Located in Bozeman, MT

Thomas Swanston was born 1956 in Annapolis Md., Naval Hospital. He graduated from Hobart & William Smith Colleges 1978 with a Bachelor of Arts, with studi...

Category

2010s Contemporary Thomas Swanston Art

Materials

Gold, Silver

Maybe One Day
Maybe One Day

Maybe One Day

By Thomas Swanston

Located in Atlanta, GA

This painting is in excellent condition and has only been shown in a gallery setting. Please note that given the characteristics of the silver and gold leafing the work will photogr...

Category

2010s Contemporary Thomas Swanston Art

Materials

Gold Leaf

Up in Blue

Up in Blue

By Thomas Swanston

Located in Bozeman, MT

It is a tall, vertical painting. The mixed media is composed of oil paint and gold leaf with smaller silver leaf birds at the bottom of the composition. The bird silhouettes look lik...

Category

2010s Contemporary Thomas Swanston Art

Materials

Gold Leaf

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Previously Available Items
Through the Clear Afternoon Sky
Through the Clear Afternoon Sky

Through the Clear Afternoon Sky

By Thomas Swanston

Located in Atlanta, GA

This painting is in excellent condition and has only been shown in a gallery setting. Please note that given the characteristics of the silver and gold leafing the work will photogr...

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2010s Contemporary Thomas Swanston Art

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Returning Progress
Returning Progress

Thomas SwanstonReturning Progress

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H 42 in W 84 in D 4 in

Returning Progress

By Thomas Swanston

Located in Atlanta, GA

This painting is in excellent condition and has only been shown in a gallery setting. Please note that given the characteristics of the silver and gold leafing the work will photogr...

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2010s Contemporary Thomas Swanston Art

Materials

Gold Leaf

The Fog of Time
The Fog of Time

Thomas SwanstonThe Fog of Time

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H 44 in W 44 in D 2 in

The Fog of Time

By Thomas Swanston

Located in Atlanta, GA

This painting is in excellent condition and has only been shown in a gallery setting. Please note that given the characteristics of the silver and gold leafing the work will photogr...

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2010s Contemporary Thomas Swanston Art

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Gold Leaf

Fullness
Fullness

Thomas SwanstonFullness

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H 18 in W 24 in

Fullness

By Thomas Swanston

Located in Atlanta, GA

This painting is in excellent condition and has only been shown in a gallery setting. Please note that given the characteristics of the silver leafing the works will photograph and ...

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2010s Contemporary Thomas Swanston Art

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Gold Leaf

Morning Vapor

Morning Vapor

By Thomas Swanston

Located in Bozeman, MT

Thomas Swanston was born 1956 in Annapolis Md., Naval Hospital. He graduated from Hobart & William Smith Colleges 1978 with a Bachelor of Arts, with studies in London and at the Stud...

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2010s Contemporary Thomas Swanston Art

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Linen, Mixed Media

Going to the Edge of the World Again

Going to the Edge of the World Again

By Thomas Swanston

Located in Bozeman, MT

This painting is rich in texture. Golden, rusted and silver geese fly along the gritty blue, turquoise sky. Deep cerulean blue tree tops stand in the foreground. Thomas Swanston was...

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2010s Contemporary Thomas Swanston Art

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Coming In

Coming In

By Thomas Swanston

Located in Bozeman, MT

This is a square painting with a stunning sunset on it. The sky starts as a deep blue and fades into yellows, oranges, and pinks until the sky touches a purple mountain range. Geese ...

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2010s Contemporary Thomas Swanston Art

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Mixed Media

Sweet Morning Light

Sweet Morning Light

By Thomas Swanston

Located in Bozeman, MT

It is a tall, vertical painting. The painting's medium is acrylic paint and silver leaf on linen. The birds' silver silhouettes fly across the dream acrylic background. Thomas Swans...

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2010s Contemporary Thomas Swanston Art

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Silver

Through and above Farmland I & II
Through and above Farmland I & II

Through and above Farmland I & II

By Thomas Swanston

Located in Bozeman, MT

This is a diptych painting. The painting's composition is birds flying across the two panels on a a blue-gray background. You can see faint traces of gold underneath the oil paint. T...

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2010s Contemporary Thomas Swanston Art

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Deja Through

Thomas SwanstonDeja Through

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H 60 in W 48 in

Deja Through

By Thomas Swanston

Located in Bozeman, MT

This a stylized bird painting created through materials and silhouetted birds in the composition. The birds fly through a gray background, but the birds them selves are actually gold...

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2010s Contemporary Thomas Swanston Art

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Silver, Gold Leaf

Thomas Swanston art for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Thomas Swanston art available for sale on 1stDibs. You can also browse by medium to find art by Thomas Swanston in metal, gold, acrylic paint and more. Much of the original work by this artist or collective was created during the 21st century and contemporary and is mostly associated with the contemporary style. Not every interior allows for large Thomas Swanston art, so small editions measuring 24 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of Peter Hamlin, Stephen Foss, and Greg Decker. Thomas Swanston art prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $3,900 and tops out at $25,000, while the average work can sell for $10,200.

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