Ray Swirsky is a full time oil painter based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Having grown up in the small mountain town of Kimberley, British Columbia, Ray has never lost his connection with nature, and his love of the mountains and all things western can be seen in the bulk of his paintings. 

Ray began oil painting lessons in 2015, and opted to become a full time painter in 2017. He is continually active in educating himself in his chosen medium of oils. It is this continued pursuit of understanding and mastering these skills that drives him to create. The result of this hard work is his ability to achieve vivid contrast, and a stunning depth of realism in his paintings with both brush and pallet knife.

 “To be able to live in one of the most beautiful parts of the world, a painters paradise, is such a privilege. The Rocky Mountains, National and Provincial Parks are everywhere, allowing me to explore the outdoors with my brush and paints, learning to capture the colours mother nature provides in abundance.”

Ray is a member of the Federation of Canadian Artists (AFCA),  the Alberta Society of Artists (ASA), Oil Painters of America, Artists for Conservation (AFC), the Métis Society of Alberta and a founding member of the First Nations Art Alliance. In his short career, Ray’s work has been well received into many juried exhibitions with works being sold throughout Canada, USA, UK, Germany, New Zealand, Australia and South Africa.