"By Your Spirit You Move Human Hearts" signed print by John August Swanson.

John August Swanson born in 1938 in Los Angeles, California, paints in oil, watercolor, acrylic, and mixed media, and is an independent printmaker of limited edition serigraphs, lithographs, etchings, and other prints.

Since 1969, his art has reflected his strong heritage of storytelling, inherited from his Mexican mother and Swedish father. John Swanson's narratives are direct and easily understood. He addresses himself to human values, cultural roots, and the quest for self-discovery through visual images. These include: Bible stories and social celebrations, such as attending circuses, concerts, and operas. His parables optimistically embrace life and one's spiritual transformation.

John Swanson studied lettering and printmaking with Corita Kent at Immaculate Heart College. His unique style is detailed, complex, and elaborate. It is influenced by the imagery of Islamic and medieval miniatures, and of Russian iconography; the color of Latin American folk art; and the tradition of Mexican muralists.
As an artist, printer and serigrapher, Swanson oversaw all phases of the production of his original silkscreen prints. His hand-crafted serigraphs are printed in up to 89 colors of transparent and opaque inks, which overlap to create rich and detailed imagery. For each color printed, the artist drew a stencil on Mylar film. Each stencil was subsequently transferred to a silkscreen, which was used to print one color onto the serigraph edition. After many printings, the resulting serigraph is a matrix of richly overlaid colors, visually striking and technically masterful. Since 2011, he has retired from screen printing. He continues to make his artwork available as archival, 6-color Epson prints. Every print is carefully inspected, and color-matched by the artist.

More information at http://www.johnaugustswanson.com