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.
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...
Gold Leaf
$3,900
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...
Gold Leaf
Rolling On Currents 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...
Gold Leaf
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...
Gold, Silver
Sunset
By Jacob Burda
Located in Zofingen, AG
A blazing red-orange sky stretches above the quiet earth as the golden sun melts into the valley. Below, a shimmering river winds through the landscape, reflecting the last light of ...
Canvas, Acrylic
$6,000
H 25.5 in W 21.5 in
Tigers Animal Paradise Tropical Jungle Painting Surrealist Art Gustavo Novoa
By Gustavo Novoa
Located in Surfside, FL
Original Painting tigers in jungle by river with reflection, tropical jungle setting. Titled "Paper Boat". Hand signed recto and titled verso. Framed 25.5 X 21.5 Canvas is 24 X 20 Gustavo Novoa, Born 1941 in Santiago, Chile, He attended the Academy of Fine Arts. Novoa made his debut as an artist in the early 1960¹s selling oil painting, watercolors and crayon drawings on the streets of Paris, France, principally Montmartre. His first one-man show was sponsored by the Chilean Ambassador at the Maison de L¹Amerique Latin in 1961. The late Queen Victoria Eugenia...
Canvas, Acrylic
$3,695
H 29.53 in W 19.69 in
Penumbra (What Follows You?) by R Gonzalez - Night Scene Painting, Animal, Flora
By Rene Gonzalez
Located in Paris, FR
Penumbra (What Follows You?) is an acrylic painting on raw linen canvas by artist René Gonzalez. The painting represents two deer nestled among wildflowers. Dimensions are 75 × 50 cm...
Canvas, Acrylic
$695
H 10.63 in W 10.63 in D 2.37 in
Sialia Blue Bird - realist and minimalist animal painting, oil and gold leaf
By Anastasia Gklava
Located in Dallas, TX
"Sialia" is a stunning realist painting depicting a sweet blue bird with orange on his neck, perched on a tree branch. Half the canvas is real gold leaf and the other white, a beauti...
Gold Leaf
Resting Magpie
By John Defeo
Located in Bozeman, MT
Johnny Defeo’s work belongs to the concept of souvenir, attempting to capture the experiences he has in the natural world, where he feels free and most at home. His paintings and rug...
Acrylic, Panel
$880Sale Price|20% Off
H 31.5 in W 63 in D 0.4 in
Magical Ecstasy Oil Painting on Canvas, Dreamlike Animals, 80x160 cm
Located in Bogotá, Bogotá
Magical Ecstasy presents a composition in which birds, animals, and human figures coexist within a single pictorial space. The image is organized through fields of color, symbols, an...
Gold Leaf
$12,500
H 36 in W 36 in
Panthers in Jungle Oil Painting Surrealist Art Gustavo Novoa Green Dark Mirror
By Gustavo Novoa
Located in Surfside, FL
Gustavo Novoa (Chilean, born 1941) Original Oil Painting on Masonite (that was how it was catalogued at Doyle. It might be acrylic paint) Green Dark Mirror Hand signed G Novoa lower...
Canvas, Acrylic
$3,547
H 29.53 in W 19.69 in
Where the Forest is Darkest by Rene Gonzalez - forest landscape painting, fox
By Rene Gonzalez
Located in Paris, FR
Where the Forest is Darkest is an acrylic painting on canvas by artist René Gonzalez representing two foxes crossing paths in the heart of a dark and haunting forest. Dimensions are...
Canvas, Acrylic
Fenced
By Allison McIntyre
Located in Bozeman, MT
Allison McIntyre (b. 1999 West Virginia) pulls from animal imagery and digital aesthetics to respond to contemporary human-animal relations, wrestling...
Acrylic, Wood Panel
$500
H 6 in W 6 in D 1 in
Moose, gold, oil, metallic foil, blue, trees, animals, landscape, grid
By Alexis Kandra
Located in Jersey City, NJ
"Moose" by Alexis Kandra is an original oil painting with gold, blue and black foil measuring 6" H x 6" W x 1" D. figurative, animals, landscape, moose, trees, blue, gold
Foil
$500
H 6 in W 6 in D 1 in
African Elephant, gold, oil, metallic foil, blue, animals, landscape, grid
By Alexis Kandra
Located in Jersey City, NJ
"African Elephant" by Alexis Kandra is an original oil painting with gold and black foil measuring 6" H x 6" W x 1" D. figurative, animals, landscape, elephant, blue, gold
Foil
Shadows
By Allison McIntyre
Located in Bozeman, MT
Allison McIntyre (b. 1999 West Virginia) pulls from animal imagery and digital aesthetics to respond to contemporary human-animal relations, wrestling...
Acrylic, Wood Panel
Crisis Averted
By Allison McIntyre
Located in Bozeman, MT
Allison McIntyre (b. 1999 West Virginia) pulls from animal imagery and digital aesthetics to respond to contemporary human-animal relations, wrestling with issues such as the climate...
Acrylic, Panel
$6,000
H 18 in W 24 in
Leopards Nude Venus Animal Paradise Jungle Painting Surrealist Art Gustavo Novoa
By Gustavo Novoa
Located in Surfside, FL
Original Painting leopards surrounding a blue Venus nude sculpture. tropical jungle setting. Titled "Blue Venus". Hand signed recto and signed, t...
Canvas, Acrylic
$19,950
H 44.5 in W 48.5 in
"Trapped in New York, " Acrylic on Canvas Field of Trees signed by Tom Shelton
By Tom Shelton
Located in Milwaukee, WI
"Trapped in New York" is an original acrylic painting by Tom Shelton. The artist signed, titled, and dated the piece in the lower right. This piece features a forest with animals and...
Canvas, Acrylic
Orange Sky Migration
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...
Gold Leaf
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...
Gold Leaf
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...
Gold Leaf
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...
Gold Leaf
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 ...
Gold Leaf
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...
Linen, Mixed Media
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...
Mixed Media
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 ...
Mixed Media
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...
Silver
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...
Silver, Gold Leaf
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...
Silver, Gold Leaf