Thomas Swanston was born in 1956 in Annapolis, Maryland. He graduated from Hobart & William Smith Colleges in 1978 with a Bachelor of Arts, with studies in London and at the Studio School in New York City. In 1980, Swanston was one of only twelve of the first Parsons School of Design Master's students, where he completed his graduate degree. In his current body of paintings, the overarching theme of migration carries a multitude of connotations, while using a reocurring motif, the sandhill crane. In the works, migration speaks to the mystical movement through time and space, from one location to another and the ultimate return home. The patterns of sandhill crane migrations remind viewers of nature's ability to renew and revive itself, rhythmically changing, yet remaining stable and consistent through the seasons. Swanston draws parallels to the human life, changing with each year and new generation. Exhibiting regularly in galleries in Boston, Atlanta, New Orleans, Los Angeles, Houston, and Santa Fe, and with Fine Art consultants across the country, Swanston has had 15 solo and 60 group gallery exhibitions. He has been included in 8 museum exhibitions and published in over 55 trade and lifestyles magazines. Swanston’s work is collected in public and private collections in the US, Europe, Korea, China, Japan, Mexico, and the Caribbean.