Biography

Jeffrey Swaluk is a versatile artist who has explored many painting styles throughout his career. During his late teens and early twenties he specialized in painting realistic portraits of horses and dogs for top breeders across the country. The past several years have brought about a change in style and subject matter. Taking workshops with internationally known artist Charles Sovek has inspired Jeffrey to explore a looser, more expressive painting style. While he once strove to include as much detail in his paintings as possible, he now improvises upon the scene in front of him, much like a jazz musician playing with a classic tune to give it his own unique spin. He exaggerates colors for expressive effect and leaves out details that could distract the viewer from the essence of the scene. In doing so, he says more with less. Having recently moved to Amherst, NY, Jeffrey enjoys painting the historic architecture of nearby Buffalo as well as the wilderness areas of NY State. In addition, frequent trips to visit his parents in Brewster provide him with opportunities to paint Cape Cod subjects such as beaches, fishing boats and harbor scenes, as well as Cape Cod’s own distinctive architecture. Jeffrey exhibits his work frequently at the Creative Arts Center in Chatham and has won several awards in their shows. He also shows his paintings at the Concord Art Association and maintains an Internet presence through his web site http://www.swaluk.com. Jeffrey is also a classical musician. He received his Bachelor of Music from Oberlin Conservatory of Music in 1990 and spent the next seven years as a professional violist in the Richmond Symphony Orchestra. He also performed frequently in Colonial Williamsburg as a member of the Governor’s Musick, a chamber music ensemble specializing in 18th century music performed on original instruments of the period. With the Governor’s Musick he recorded a CD, A Delightful Recreation, the Music of Thomas Jefferson. This recording was featured on a national radio broadcast presented by Colonial Williamsburg and American Public Radio in 1993. Also a violinist, during 2001-2002 Jeffrey was appointed concertmaster of the Lake Union Civic Orchestra in Seattle, WA, the concert proceeds of which are donated to the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.