56 Artists Magazine May 2020
He says, “I don’t buy premade browns,
grays or blacks. I feel I’d be missing
out on the richness and complete
control of temperature and saturation
that’s possible by mixing them myself
with primary colors and whites.”
Swan usually begins a painting
with a rough charcoal outline that’s
easy to wipe off with a rag or paper
towel, should any compositional
changes be necessary. He then blocks
in the main areas and shapes with oil
paint, using the charcoal outline as
a guide. He paints over these areas
two or three times to make sure all
colors are opaque. In the final layer,
Swan carefully renders detail, work-
ing from left to right so as not to
disturb the wet paint.OPPOSITE
Silver Wrapper
oil on wood panel, 31x37BELOW LEFT
Parallel Coff ee No. 1
graphite and white Conté
on toned paper, 15x22BELOW RIGHT
Parallel Coff ee No. 2
graphite and white Conté
on toned paper, 15x22ENIGMATIC BEAUTY
Commenting on his subdued palette,
Swan says, “I intentionally omit color
in my drawings in order to focus only
on the formal element of composition.
For Parallel Coffee No. 1 and Parallel
Coffee No. 2 (both below), it was
important to find a balance between
object, background and table. The
contrasting value of the background
allowed me to work on re-creating
the ephemeral beauty of that steam
effect. In still life paintings, I enjoy
creating the subtle grays of table
surfaces and shadows. I’m naturally
drawn to these neutral colors.”
Silver Wrapper (opposite) is essen-
tially a grayed-blue and blue-gray violet
painting contrasted with warmly tinted