In the bustling art world of Greenville, South Carolina, I am honored to both interview and introduce Dylan Swain, a visual artist who specializes in 2D and 3D design. In the past years at the Greenville Center for Creative Arts, Dylan has exhibited his works in the 2021 ' Seven Places ' exhibition as well as some First Fridays events. Artwork cultivated by Swain was motif-inspired by the nature around him, both big and small, from invasive insect species to the Great Lakes of Texas. In this interview, the reader shall get to know Dylan Swain not only through his works but as the person he is as a whole.
If you could name one thing that you wanted to make you become the artist you are today, what would that thing be?
D: " The biggest influence in my practice and the artist I am is the practicing artists I had as mentors and teachers in my younger years, as well as the artists I surround myself with now as an adult. "
What are your main goals as a visual artist?
D: " To visually communicate my own experiences, whether that be an issue that I feel very strongly about or my own internal emotional turmoil. "
What is your favorite part about making the kind of work you create and why?
D: " I love the process; for me, a lot of my work is interdisciplinary and incorporates different media that you don’t often see intertwined, such as traditional printmaking with digital projections layered on top in an interactive design. "
In the art world, what do you find underrated and could be more appreciated?
D: " I think people often take for granted drawing from life: figure studies, still lives, sketching in nature, etc. All of it informs so much of my work in more ways than just developing skill. Nature specifically inspires the uneven weight of my line work or the textures I try to imitate in compositions. "
Of all the works you’ve cultivated over the years, which must be the one artwork that you favor or resonate with the most and why? "
D: " I think I resonate most with my printmaking work because it feels like the process is just as much part of the work as the finished print series. I love how each print may exist in a series of very similar editions but is unique in each one in different ways. "
What does success look like to you as an artist?
D: " Success to me is finding joy in the act of making and being able to share that joy with others, even if it is just my own direct circle and not displayed in a gallery or museum. "
What seems to be the main obstacle when it comes to creating artwork? How do you overcome your struggles in that way?
D: " My biggest struggle has always been discipline. It's so easy to get caught up in the day-to-day of life and how fast everything moves, which keeps us from slowing down and taking time to intentionally breathe, feel, and then create something. Overcoming this is something I still work on every day, but I have found that setting aside dedicated time to sit down with no pressure to make a whole piece, but to just sketch and be present in myself and now. "
How do you think your artwork will transcend as time in the art field goes on? Do you think your style or taste will change within your work? What part do you want to stay the same?
D: " I think my style is always evolving as nature evolves and the world around us moves at such a fast pace, but the evolution of that style in tandem has always been something I welcome. I do love to sit down and look through old work and past sketchbooks to see how that has evolved with time, but I also often find that in doing that, I find old ways I solved visual problems in the past that I can revive and bring with me to solve new ones in the present, and I think I want to stay the same. "
How do you want to be remembered as an artist as your legacy goes on?
D: " This is a hard one; being remembered is complicated because I think everyone wants to be remembered as unique or different, but I like to think my work is very similar to the world around me while I lived it, and so I would just like my work to reflect that after I am long gone, as a glimpse into my own world. "
Blog post written by Hassan Abu-Judom (8/10/2026)
From The Great Lakes to Texas (2021) 24x53" Enameled copper, vinyl, acrylic, and charcoal