Len Swec has a few favorite themes that he explores in his artwork, like neglected and decaying buildings, remoteness and isolation, and intimate scenes of city or village neighborhoods. He’s been working as a full-time artist since his retirement—about ten years now—adding that, perhaps, this is why he hasn’t settled into a specific genre yet. Instead, Swec’s work covers a range of subjects, including city scenes, landscapes, interiors and more.
Irish Storm, acrylic on panel, 10 x 20"
“My career had nothing to do with art,” he reflects. Educated in engineering, Swec spent the majority of his career developing engineering and scientific software. And while the artist hasn’t had any formal art training, “that’s not to say I haven’t had considerable help. I follow many artists on social media, print publications, websites and online tutorials. There are scores of artists from my local area and around the world whose work I admire, and every time I see a painting that elicits a feeling of ‘I wish I had painted that,’ I try to learn more about the process that led to that result.”
Spello Stairs, acrylic on panel, 20 x 10"
Despite having a non art-related career, Swec has painted for most of his life, starting at age 9, and continuing through college and graduate school. Although he started in oils, Swec began experimenting with acrylics many years ago as a way to deal with the time constraints imposed by his career and now paints exclusively in acrylic.
Walking the Fence Line, acrylic on panel, 12 x 24"
“My style is highly realistic. However, this may be misleading, because I don’t necessarily try to accurately reproduce a real subject, but often work from imagination. At other times I may put a real subject in an imaginary setting or change some aspect to emphasize particular details,” says Swec. “I prefer to work on smooth, gessoed panels for greater control over fine brushwork. My painting process and techniques involve building multiple layers of thin glazes.”
Not in Service, acrylic on panel, 20 x 16"
One of his city scenes, Spello Stairs, depicts a hilltop Italian village neighboring the town of Assisi in the Umbria region. “It has essentially one main street with many little side alleys,” says Swec. “This is one of those picturesque alleys that inspired me while walking through the town.”
From Christina’s World, acrylic on panel, 14 x 11"
From Christina’s World is a quiet interior depicting the famous Olson House. “The Olson House in Maine was one of Andrew Wyeth’s favorite subjects and painting locations. It is in the background in his iconic Christina’s World painting,” says Swec. “This is a room in that house, where I could imagine Christina spending some time, or Wyeth himself arranging a composition.”
Len Swec working in his studio.
Swec exhibits in both local and national exhibitions. In the Connecticut area, where the artist lives, his work appears in the Thames River Gallery as well as many local art association shows, like the Lyme Art Association, Essex Art Association and Madison Art Society. —
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