Justin Swaby is an artist living in Oakland. Recently I had the chance to check out his work and compile a minor biography so more people can be introduced to his work. He owns a big raft and for the interview date he took me out for an afternoon of sun bathing on Lake Merritt; it was great, we smoked lots of cigarettes and talked about his art and how great Oakland looks from the lake – when you are actually in Oakland it is a wasteland.
Meet Justin:
Justin Swaby was born March 20, 1986 in Little Rock, Arkansas. Grew up in Benton, Arkansas with four brothers raised by our single mother, I was always the artist in my family from the day I was born on every birthday or holiday I only receive art supplies as gifts, I eventually got annoyed when every Christmas I got art supplies while my four brother were playing with toy cars and board games. I attended public school until my freshman year of high school and then home schooled by my mother until 2002. I began college at Arkansas Tech University, Russellville AR in 2003 majoring in Art Education with a minor in Graphic Design after two years I dropped out of college and moved to Little Rock Arkansas where I began working on my art constantly, I started selling work immediately, I held my first gallery showing at Mediums Art Gallery in Little Rock Arkansas where I sold nine hundred dollars worth of my work with only a few pieces left on the gallery walls people started asking for commissioned pieces at least once I week, I realized that my childhood dream had turned into something that was now attainable I realized that if I wanted to make something of myself I had to leave my Middle-America-Southern-Town and go somewhere that art or anything really mattered. so I got a job as a waiter in a pizza joint and saved every penny I made and decided I was moving to San Francisco. On march 20th my birthday I bought a one way ticket and boarded a plane to San Francisco, I’ve been here for 6 months now and have been working solely on commission works that I have gotten from a lot of self promotion and hard work. I want to hold a gallery opening soon but realized its not as easy as you would think it is, most galleries are booked up to three years in advance.
Check out some of his work:
business cards
caged
wants you
gay birthday
horses
elephant
Now go say hello and if the stock market crash isn’t damaging your bank account, well support the young up and coming artist Justin Swaby.
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This is the sweetest little bio. I met Justin while working at a coffee shop. I knew I wanted to be friends with him when one day while slinging lattes I caught him drawing squirrels on the sides of little old ladies’ cups instead of making drinks. Miss you baby bird-
m
Justin is a very talented and forward thinking artist. Excellent work!
[...] and they were planning on playing shows in England. I think their show is the night I met my friend Justin Swaby, he takes me out in his boat on lake merrit. My life is rad but their music is even [...]