- Artist: Dylan Thomas
- Edition Size: 100 signed and numbered, 10 artist's proofs, 10 remarques, and 2 printer's proofs
- Paper Size: 56 x 56 cm, 22 x 22 inches
- Image Size: 53 x 53 cm, 21 x 21 inches
- Publication Year: 2018
"While swans are fairly rare in Northwest Coast art, they have a rich symbolic history around the world. From folk tales such as “The Ugly Duckling” to Tchaikovsky’s ballet, “Swan Lake,” Swans aesthetic natural elegance make them a fantastic animal for artistic portrayal, and I’ve always been drawn to their flowing aesthetic form.
In this design, I was inspired by the swans’ hypnotic mating display where pairs of swans engage in a long and charming synchronized dance across the water. With stunning precision, the two birds mimic each other’s movement in graceful circles and figure-eights. I wanted to capture this movement by using the spindle whorls circular structure and employing rotated symmetry to capture their synchronized movements. Using four birds, I had each individual swan share its wing with the two beside, symbolizing the intimacy of the pairs."
- Dylan Thomas
This limited edition silk screen print titled "Swan Dance" by Dylan Thomas was hand produced by the screen printing process. It is the only limited edition printing of this design. The artist has inspected and signed each copy in the edition. All trial copies of this edition have been destroyed and the printing stencils obliterated.
Published by Cedar Hill Long House Native Art Prints.
Dylan Thomas
Born in Victoria, in 1986, Dylan Thomas (Qwul’thilum) is a Coast Salish artist and member of the Lyackson First Nation of Valdes Island, through his grandfather, Clifford Thomas. He also has Songhees heritage through his great grandmother, Mary Moody (of the Albany family), Squamish heritage though his great grandfather, George Moody, and Snuneymuxw heritage through his grandmother, Doris Josephson (of the Prest family).
Although Dylan grew up in the urban setting of Victoria, he was introduced to Coast Salish art at a young age because his family continues to participate in their culture and tradition. Dylan’s early experiences with Salish art ignited a lifelong passion for the art form – and, eventually, led him to seek guidance from established artists. Dylan received training in jewelry techniques from the late Seletze (Delmar Johnnie) and studied under Rande Cook in all mediums of Northwest Coast art. Dylan’s artwork has been published in The Journal of Mathematics and the Arts (Taylor and Francis), and in Contemporary Art on the Northwest Coast by Karen & Ralph Norris.
In 2013, Dylan was featured – alongside Rande Cook, lessLIE, and Francis Dick – in the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria’s Urban Thunderbirds/Ravens in a Material World art show, and in 2016, Dylan held his first solo exhibit, titled Sacred Geometry, at Alcheringa Gallery in Victoria. Along with Rande and Delmar, Dylan’s art has been influenced by the late Art Thompson, Susan Point and Robert Davidson. Dylan has also extensively studied other forms of traditional geometric art, and his work has been deeply influenced by Vajrayana Buddhist mandalas, Celtic knots, Islamic tessellations, and many other ancient geometric art traditions.