About

Shayne Swenson is an iconographer, oil painter, tattoo artist, designer, and educator with more than 25 years of experience in the visual arts. His background includes over two decades of professional tattooing, formal training in traditional academic painting, and extensive work in sacred art, design, illustration, and visual communications.

As an oil painter, Shayne has trained in traditional academic methods including portraiture, figure drawing, composition, color theory, and classical atelier-based techniques. Throughout his career, he has completed commissioned portrait work, fine art commissions, and sacred art and iconography projects for Eastern Orthodox, Eastern Catholic, Roman Catholic, and Coptic Orthodox Christian communities.

Beyond painting, Shayne has an extensive background in graphic design, branding, illustration, marketing, and visual communications. His work has been utilized by a number of Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic organizations, ministries, media outlets, and apostolates, where he has contributed as a designer, illustrator, creative consultant, and art director.

An experienced educator and speaker, Shayne has provided private art instruction, produced educational content for artists and iconographers, and created numerous instructional and commentary videos exploring the history, theology, techniques, and varied traditions of Byzantine iconography. He has also lectured and presented at conferences, workshops, and educational events on subjects related to sacred art and iconographic practice.

Today, his primary focus is the creation of traditional Byzantine iconography and Western Christian sacred art for churches, monasteries, and private collectors, ranging from individual panel icons to complete monumental iconographic programs.