For 40 years, Albert Swayhoover has been creating paintings intended to capture the total experience of nature with a focus on achieving superb technique and unique textural imagery. Swayhoover is committed to using the painting knife. Forsaking the traditional brushes, and using only a series of knives, his goal is to breathe life into delicate beach grasses as well as fierce storm clouds. He also strives for beautifully structured composition with subtle shifts of color and modulating of impastos to create an immediate environmental experience on canvas. " I love the sounds and sights of boat yards, marsh grass blowing in the wind, old weathered buildings and rocky shores. All of these give me pleasure and inspiration for my work. My idea of a perfect afternoon is to sit on a dock sketching a harbor scene or to follow a stone wall and discover a wonderful old farm on a snowy hillside." Albert Swayhoover was born in New York City. He studied art at New York College at Farmingdale and at the School of Visual Arts, dividing his time between painting and a successful career in advertising. The demand for his canvases increased steadily and, in 1966, he left advertising to devote himself totally to painting. " I am a self taught painter. I did not want to be influenced by other artists. This I believe is the only way to achieve successes in the art world today. You must develop a distinct style and stick to it." He is the recipient of over 25 awards, including the Solomon R. Guggenheim Award given by the Salmagundi Club. He has had over 40 successful one-man shows in leading galleries across America. Some of his works hang in important private collections as well as the corporate collections IBM, Chase Manhattan CBS and others. |
