

Biography
Born in Los Angeles and based in Houston, Michael Diniz Swingler is an oil painter who works mostly in a surrealist and magical realist style. His training includes an undergraduate degree from the Academy of Art University, over a decade as an expatriate artist in Colombia, work as an animator for a Disney film, and years of experience as a graphic designer.
He is rational, but naturally questions convention and is predisposed to layered and complex thought; generally feeling that there is something more to existence, just beyond his understanding. As a result, his work is firmly rooted in realistic figures, objects, and landscapes that have detoured into complicated abstractions. He uses classical oil painting techniques on canvas or panel and usually pulls ideas from sketchbook wanderings and academic re-workings. He does not always begin with a specific plan, so his processes vary. Live models and photographic references are employed when realism is important. His brushwork tends to be refined and premeditated, even when trying to work loose and spontaneously. An artwork is finished when he says so and will not be considered "completed" until it has been varnished and usually framed.
Ultimately, Michael wants his artworks to command respect for their level of skill, spark conversations due to their content and composition, and be worthy of remembrance by remaining visible in public collections where they may appreciate in value. He envisions his work displayed in museums.
Nationality