John Swatsley is a contemporary
wildlife artist whose oil paintings and conte’ crayon studies take the viewer
into the intimate and mysterious lives of birds and animals.
The emotional impact of his impressionistic canvases comes from his
desire to share a glimpse of a world that the viewers may never see for
themselves. His paintings achieve a
balanced view of nature, free of editorial slant, and place the viewer alongside
the artist as an equal spectator in experiencing wildlife on its own terms.
John took his formal art
training at the Art Center College of Design in California, and after military
obligations, entered the art field in publishing. He moved from magazine art
direction into freelance illustration specializing in wildlife and historical
subjects. He now devotes his time
exclusively to wildlife painting. Extensive
trips to Alaska, South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, and Kenya are an ongoing
source of inspiration.
John strives to convey “the
individuality of the birds and animals in their private worlds”.
To be compelling, wildlife painting must say something about the
character of the animal enabling the viewer to share in the motivation of the
painting and enjoy the beauty and uniqueness of the subject.
The paintings are visual fragments of time in the lives of wild
creatures.
Going on location to gather
first-hand observations of the subjects heightens the emotional content and
immediacy in John’s work. “The
sounds, smells, and even the tension in being close to an animal in the wild,
are nearly as important as the visual information obtained.
If my work can transmit even a fraction of the thrill of seeing a leopard
in the wild with no cages, no bars, nothing but the sounds of the bush between
you and the awe inspiring cat, then the painting will attract and hold the
viewer.”
John is a signature member of the American Watercolor Society and winner of the National Forest Service Centennial stamp design competition. He has participated in “Birds in Art”, Leigh Yawkey Woodson Museum, Art and the Animal Kingdom, Bennington Center for the Arts, Arts for the Parks Medal of Merit, bird category, 1996, 1997. His work appears at Christies, London in their annual Wildlife Art Auctions, and he is represented in numerous private collections in the United States, Great Britain and South Africa.