Skip to main content

Thomas Swanston Paintings

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.

to
2
1
3
Overall Width
to
Overall Height
to
6
6
4
2
4
3
2
2
1
1
1
1
1
6
6
5
5
5
6
787
754
753
663
3
1
6
Artist: Thomas Swanston
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 Paintings

Materials

Gold Leaf

Orange Sky Migration
Orange Sky Migration

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...

Category

2010s Contemporary Thomas Swanston Paintings

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 Paintings

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 Paintings

Materials

Gold, Silver

Rolling On Currents of Time
Rolling On Currents of Time

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...

Category

2010s Contemporary Thomas Swanston Paintings

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 Paintings

Materials

Gold Leaf

Related Items
Where Time Stood Still
Where Time Stood Still

Olga TsyhypkoWhere Time Stood Still, 2026

$479

H 15.75 in W 15.75 in D 0.04 in

Where Time Stood Still

By Olga Tsyhypko

Located in Zofingen, AG

Where Time Stood Still (From the "Synchronicity of Souls" series) "Where Time Stood Still" is a visual manifesto of safety, unconditional trust, and the mental connection between hum...

Category

2010s Contemporary Thomas Swanston Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Hear Me Out
Hear Me Out

Daria OkhrimenkoHear Me Out, 2026

$1,521

H 35.44 in W 35.44 in D 0.79 in

Hear Me Out

By Daria Okhrimenko

Located in Zofingen, AG

Everyone wants to be heard. Some whisper. Some raise their voices. And some simply lift a claw draped in pearls and wait for the room to fall silent. Confidence isn’t always loud. So...

Category

2010s Contemporary Thomas Swanston Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

In Search of a Cerulean Sweater
In Search of a Cerulean Sweater

Daria OkhrimenkoIn Search of a Cerulean Sweater, 2026

$1,755

H 35.44 in W 35.44 in D 0.79 in

In Search of a Cerulean Sweater

By Daria Okhrimenko

Located in Zofingen, AG

In Search of a Cerulean Sweater plays with the idea of difference — of standing side by side while belonging to entirely different worlds. It reflects that quiet, often overlooked st...

Category

2010s Contemporary Thomas Swanston Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Sunset
Sunset

Jacob BurdaSunset, 2025

$1,404

H 39.38 in W 36.23 in D 0.79 in

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 ...

Category

2010s Contemporary Thomas Swanston Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Echo Rider - Abstract Figurative Cowboy & Horse Acrylic Painting on Canvas
Echo Rider - Abstract Figurative Cowboy & Horse Acrylic Painting on Canvas

Echo Rider - Abstract Figurative Cowboy & Horse Acrylic Painting on Canvas

By Jesse Black

Located in Los Angeles, CA

Jesse’s imagery often merges playful and gritty elements, blending floral patterns, vintage-inspired designs, and bold outlines with a touch of whimsy. His artwork exudes a sense of ...

Category

2010s Contemporary Thomas Swanston Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Paint, Acrylic

Kitty and Kat
Kitty and Kat

Daria OkhrimenkoKitty and Kat, 2026

$1,404

H 35.44 in W 35.44 in D 0.79 in

Kitty and Kat

By Daria Okhrimenko

Located in Zofingen, AG

They brought their own living room to the middle of nowhere. Because why wait for the perfect place when you can create your own atmosphere? Pearls at sunset. Coffee on a picnic blan...

Category

2010s Contemporary Thomas Swanston Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Horses Painting BOHO Heavy Textured on Canvas 40x60" Love Between Horses
Horses Painting BOHO Heavy Textured on Canvas 40x60" Love Between Horses

Horses Painting BOHO Heavy Textured on Canvas 40x60" Love Between Horses

By Irena Orlov

Located in Los Angeles, CA

Love Between Horses Couple Painting One of a kind Mixed Medium on Canvas Artwork: Original abstract mixed media work on canvas, which combines new media - digital original hand pain...

Category

2010s Contemporary Thomas Swanston Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Varnish, Archival Ink, Acrylic, Mixed Media

Silk Flutters in the Woods by Rene Gonzalez - Forest Landscape with Butterflies
Silk Flutters in the Woods by Rene Gonzalez - Forest Landscape with Butterflies

Silk Flutters in the Woods by Rene Gonzalez - Forest Landscape with Butterflies

By Rene Gonzalez

Located in Paris, FR

Silk Flutters in the Woods is an acrylic on canvas by artist Rene Gonzalez, portraying butterflies dancing above a water puddle in a spellbinding nocturnal forest. This unique piece'...

Category

2010s Contemporary Thomas Swanston Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Tender Presence II
Tender Presence II

Yana DulgerTender Presence II, 2026

$1,112

H 37.41 in W 47.25 in D 0.04 in

Tender Presence II

Located in Zofingen, AG

Size: 95×95 cm (overall size with stretching 105×105 cm) Year: 2026 Materials: acrylic on canvas Shipping: rolled Series: Trust This work continues the “Trust” series, developing the...

Category

2010s Contemporary Thomas Swanston Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Magical Ecstasy Oil Painting on Canvas, Dreamlike Animals, 80x160 cm
Magical Ecstasy Oil Painting on Canvas, Dreamlike Animals, 80x160 cm

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...

Category

2010s Contemporary Thomas Swanston Paintings

Materials

Gold Leaf

Green Apples. Series "Vibrations of the Earth"
Green Apples. Series "Vibrations of the Earth"

Green Apples. Series "Vibrations of the Earth"

By Mariia Voronchak

Located in Zofingen, AG

In "Evening Song," everything breathes with the warmth of day's end — a gentle light that envelops nature just before nightfall. Two birds, perched among fiery red and golden foliage...

Category

2010s Contemporary Thomas Swanston Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Acrylic

Inflatable Unicorn Cloudscape Painting Blue Sky Fantasy Art on Linen Canvas
Inflatable Unicorn Cloudscape Painting Blue Sky Fantasy Art on Linen Canvas

Inflatable Unicorn Cloudscape Painting Blue Sky Fantasy Art on Linen Canvas

By Sofía Cristina Jiménez

Located in FISTERRA, ES

Inflatable unicorn cloudscape painting combining fantasy imagery, balloon animal aesthetics and luminous blue sky atmosphere on Belgian linen. This original acrylic painting by Sofía Cristina Jiménez belongs to the Air series, a body of work in which inflatable figures occupy open skies, cloud formations and weightless atmospheric environments. Depicting a silver unicorn transformed into a floating balloon-like object, the painting combines fantasy art, cloudscape painting and pop surrealist imagery within a composition defined by light, openness and visual suspension. At the center of the work, the unicorn appears as a reflective inflatable figure drifting through a brilliant blue sky. Its metallic silver surface captures and reflects surrounding light while contrasting with the soft textures of the clouds. The segmented construction of the form recalls balloon sculptures and inflatable toys, transforming a mythical creature into an object shaped by contemporary visual culture. Throughout the Air series, Sofía Cristina Jiménez investigates the relationship between fantasy, representation and material transformation. Familiar symbols are displaced from their traditional contexts and reimagined through synthetic forms. Here, the unicorn remains recognizable as a mythical figure associated with imagination, wonder and storytelling, yet its inflatable construction subtly shifts its meaning toward contemporary image culture and manufactured fantasy. The expansive cloudscape creates a sense of freedom and spatial ambiguity. Layers of white clouds establish depth and movement while the saturated blue sky provides a powerful chromatic field that reinforces the sensation of elevation and lightness. Rather than presenting a narrative scene, the painting captures a suspended moment between reality and imagination. Executed in acrylic on Belgian linen, the work combines precise rendering of reflective surfaces with atmospheric painterly passages. The result functions simultaneously as a fantasy painting, cloudscape artwork and contemporary figurative composition, making it particularly suitable for collectors interested in pop surrealism, contemporary fantasy imagery and uplifting architectural interiors. Medium: Acrylic on Belgian linen canvas Series: Air Condition: Excellent original condition Frame: Unframed Installation: Ready to hang Authenticity: Unique original artwork This work is particularly suited for collectors interested in unicorn painting...

Category

2010s Pop Art Thomas Swanston Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Linen, Acrylic

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...

Category

2010s Contemporary Thomas Swanston Paintings

Materials

Gold Leaf

Returning Progress
Returning Progress

Thomas SwanstonReturning Progress

Sold

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...

Category

2010s Contemporary Thomas Swanston Paintings

Materials

Gold Leaf

The Fog of Time
The Fog of Time

Thomas SwanstonThe Fog of Time

Sold

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...

Category

2010s Contemporary Thomas Swanston Paintings

Materials

Gold Leaf

Fullness
Fullness

Thomas SwanstonFullness

Sold

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 ...

Category

2010s Contemporary Thomas Swanston Paintings

Materials

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...

Category

2010s Contemporary Thomas Swanston Paintings

Materials

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...

Category

2010s Contemporary Thomas Swanston Paintings

Materials

Mixed Media

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 ...

Category

2010s Contemporary Thomas Swanston Paintings

Materials

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...

Category

2010s Contemporary Thomas Swanston Paintings

Materials

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...

Category

2010s Contemporary Thomas Swanston Paintings

Materials

Silver, Gold Leaf

Deja Through

Thomas SwanstonDeja Through

Sold

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...

Category

2010s Contemporary Thomas Swanston Paintings

Materials

Silver, Gold Leaf

Thomas Swanston paintings for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Thomas Swanston paintings 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 paintings, so small editions measuring 24 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of Anke Schofield, Peter Hamlin, and Stephen Foss. Thomas Swanston paintings 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.