Southern painter Tom Swanston celebrates the splendor of nature by mixing organic imagery with opulent color. His latest series uses silver, gold, and copper leaf to form the outlines of birds and vegetation, placed upon a hazy, soft pastel background. His earlier work consisted of bright, colorful biomorphic shapes created through the ancient technique of encaustic, a medium which is inherently luminous and richly textured. Throughout his career, Swanston has shown a fascination with the natural world and mankind's innermost connections to it.

"The subject matter of Swanston's paintings is soft, in one sense, energetic and decisive in another, literal yet symbolically evocative, non-objective yet referencing landscape traditions, with exactly the hazy precision of a dream," writes Jerry Cullum, senior editor of Art Papers.

In addition to several solo exhibitions with the Bill Lowe Gallery, Tom Swanston has exhibited his work widely throughout the Southeastern United States, including shows at the Muscarelle Museum of Art in Williamsburg, Virginia, and the Alexandria Museum in Alexandria, Louisiana. Swanston earned an MFA at the Parsons School of Design in New York, and has been featured in numerous art and lifestyle publications for two decades.

STUDIES
1980
MFA, Parsons School of Design, New York, NY

1978
BA, Hobart College, Geneva, NY
London Studies New York Studio School, New York, NY

SELECT SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2007
The Bill Lowe Gallery, Atlanta, GA (upcoming)

2005
Lowe Gallery, Santa Monica, CA
The Studio, Middleburg, VA

2002
Horizon Gallery Santa Fe, NM

2000
Barkin Leeds Ltd Atlanta, GA

1997
Lowe Gallery Atlanta, GA
Gomez Gallery Baltimore, MD
Lowe Gallery Atlanta, GA

1993
M-13 New York, NY
Municipal Gallery Atlanta, GA

SELECT GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2006
Studio Swan, "A Select Group", Atlanta, GA
Studio Swan, "Gail Foster and Tom Swanston: New Work", Atlanta, GA

2005
Soho Myriad, Atlanta, GA
707 Contemporary, Sante Fe, NM

2005
Lowe Gallery, Atlanta, GA

2004
Lowe Gallery, Atlanta, GA

2003
Studio Eleven Lexington, VA
The Studio Middleburg, VA
Sun Trust Plaza Atlanta, GA

2000
Handsel Gallery Santa Fe, NM
Lenox Atlanta GA

1999
Twinhouse Gallery Atlanta, GA
City Gallery East Atlanta, GA

1998
Holter Museum of Art Helena, MT
Alexandria Museum Alexandria, LA
Georgia State University, Art & Design Atlanta, GA

1996
Muscarelle Museum of Art Williamsburg, VA

1995
Stanback Museum Columbia, SC
McIntosh Gallery Atlanta, GA
Gibbes Museum Charleston, SC
City Gallery East Atlanta, GA

1994
Haggin Museum Stockton, CA
Spazi Contemporary Arts Center Housatonic, MA

1993
Hastings Seed Building Atlanta, GA
Fay Gold Gallery Atlanta, GA
Galerie Mesa Mesa, AZ
Columbia College Columbia, MO

1992
Gold Gallery Atlanta, GA
Sheppard College Sheppardstown, WV
University of Richmond Richmond, VA
SW Texas State University San Marcos, TX
Museum Without Walls, Bemus, NY

1991
The Lowe Gallery Atlanta, GA
Exhibit ‘A’ Gallery Atlanta, GA
King Plow Arts Center Atlanta, GA

1990
The Lowe Gallery Atlanta, GA
Parsons School of Design New York, NY

1988
Urban Institute for Contemporary Art Grand Rapids, MI

SELECT PUBLIC COLLECTIONS
Alembik, Fine and Callner, Atlanta, GA
Alston and Bird Atlanta, GA Alston Bird, Atlanta, GA
Childress Klein Properties, Atlanta, GA
Drew, Eckill & Farnham, Atlanta, GA
Epstein, Becker & Green, Boston, MA
Ethan Allen International, Danbury, CT
Fannie Mae, Atlanta, GA
Fleishman-Hillard, Atlanta, GA
Frito-Lay, Atlanta, GA
GE E-Commerce, Atlanta, GA
Goizueta School of Business, Emory University, Atlanta, GA
Grady Hospital,9A, Atlanta, GA
Hartsfield International Airport, Atlanta, GA
Hilton, Atlanta, GA Hyatt Regency, Richmond, VA
IDI, Atlanta, GA
Insignia Centennial Tower, Atlanta, GA
Intercontinental, Chicago, IL
IXL Enterprises, Atlanta, GA
King Plow Arts Center, Atlanta, GA
Marriott, Austin, TX
Mass Mutual, Boston, MA
Northside Hospital, Women’s Center, Atlanta, GA
Raines and Raines, NY, NY
Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA
Saks, Long Island, NY
Scient, Atlanta, GA
Sterling Drug, Philadelphia, PA
Tremont Plaza, Baltimore, MD
Westin, St. John US Virgin Islands
XL, Pembroke, Bermuda

SELECT BIBLIOGRAPHY
2006
Golden, Nichole. StudioSwan Features “new works.” The Newnan Times-Herald (November 17) Lerner, Jonathan. Rustic Revolution in the Hill Country. Atlanta Peach Magazine (Winter)

2005
Frank, Peter. Go: Gail Foster, Thomas Swanston, Tremain Smith. The LA Weekly (October 21-27) Laughinghouse, Amy. White Hot. Atlanta Homes and Lifestyles (March)

2004
Cullum, Jerry. A Blending of Styles, The Atlanta Journal Constitution (September) Gleim, Sarah. Double Take for Art’s Sake, Atlanta Magazine’s Home (Fall) Pendley Koser, Karin. An Art Museum Within Its Walls, A+ (Spring)

2003
Pendley Koser, Karin. Unconventional Art at the Georgia International Convention Center, Supplement to Atlanta Business Chronicle (March)
Cullum, Jerry. Art Seen and Heard, The Atlanta Journal Constitution (January)

2001
Cullum, Jerry. Hot Spots, Georgia, Art Papers (July/August)
Jones, Jennifer. Bridging the Gap – With Art. The Northside Neighbor (May)

2000
Fox, Catherine. Minding Their Beeswax, The Atlanta Journal (September 15)

1999
Blaise, Oma. Two of a Kind, Atlanta Homes and Lifestyles (September)
Cullum, Jerry. Words help forge a fiery intensity, The Atlanta Journal (June 18)

1998
Frank, Peter. Ana 27-National Juried Exhibition, Holter Museum of Art Exhibition Catalogue

1997
Cullum, Jerry. Pleasure and Personal Pigrimage, (Lowe Gallery) Exhibtion Catalogue
Dorsey, John. Paintings Suggest Grasping At Fog, Baltimore Sun, (March 7)
Guiliano, Mike. In the Abstract, City Paper, (March12)

1995
Blaise, Oma. People, Short Takes, Atlanta Homes and Lifestyles (November)
Locke, Donald. Visual Arts Review, Creative Loafing (October 4)
Cullum, Jerry, Figuratively Speaking, The Atlanta Constitution (September 29) Schwartz, Carolan. Revival of the Figure, (City Gallery East) Exhibition Catalogue
Carey, Erika. A Sense of Place, (Gibbes Museum of Fine Arts) Exhibition Catalogue
Day, Jeffrey. Artists reveal Transformation after Transplantation, The State (July 2)
Greenberg, Suzie. The Yankees are Coming!, The Herald, (June 29-July12)

1993
Cullum, Jerry. Sedate November a Worthwhile Experience, The Atlanta Constitution (November 17)
Prochaska, Tom. Showcase ’93: (Beaverton Arts Commission) Exhibition Catalogue
Jinkner-Lloyd, Amy. Set & Subset, Creative Loafing (September 3)
Cullum, Jerry. Visual Arts Review, The Atlanta Constitution (March 19)

1992
Trader, Beverly. So Long Soho, Atlanta Magazine (March 19)

1991
Ruhstaller, Todd. Stockton National, (Haggin Museum) Exhibition Catalogue
Carbrey, Agnes. The Lexington News-Gazette (July 24)

1990
Levy, David. Ten Years Later, (Parson’s School of design) Exhibition Catalogue

1987
Perry, Pam. Urban & Endangered Landscape Engineering, Creative Loafing (December 8)

MOVIES
Featured art work: The Clearing; Robert Redford, Helen Mirren and Willem Defoe
Fled; Stephen Baldwin, Laurence Fishburne and Salma Hayek

PUBLIC ART PROJECTS
2003
Atlanta Cow Parade, Atlanta, GA

2000
Atlanta All Star Ball, Atlanta, GA