Bio

Kevin Swallow is a Chicago-based artist known for his paintings and photographs of urban architecture and cityscapes. Originally from Crestwood, Illinois, he began making art seriously in 1995 after being laid off from a magazine job on his first day living in the city. With time on his hands, he explored Chicago by bike and on foot, photographing architecture and street scenes. That exploration sparked a shift toward painting and marked the beginning of his self-taught art practice.

Over the years, Kevin has moved from abstract and figurative work to a focused study of architecture and industrial-era infrastructure—using photography and painting to explore rooftop water tanks, steel bridges, and urban landscapes, often drawing inspiration from his travels across the U.S., Europe, and Canada. From 1995 to 2006, he worked out of home studios in various residences before establishing his first dedicated external studio at the Cornelia Arts Building in Chicago’s Roscoe Village neighborhood. In 2022, he relocated to a new space in the Ravenswood Industrial Corridor, which remains the base for his cityscape-focused practice.

Kevin holds a B.A. in Media Communications from Northern Illinois University and has studied at Lillstreet Art Center. His work has been exhibited at venues including Bridgeport Art Center, Firecat Projects, Palette & Chisel, Eat Paint Studio, and Highland Park Art Center, and appears in collections throughout the U.S. and internationally. His cityscapes have also been featured in hotels and luxury apartment developments such as the Chicago Hilton & Suites, Hyatt Place, Sheraton Hotel & Suites, Xavier, and The Jones.

His work has been featured in publications including the Chicago Sun-Times, Hyperallergic, New City, and DNAInfo, and appeared in the FX television series Justified: City Primeval.

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