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He developed a method of drawing underwater making raw graphite drawings which are later shaded and drawn aided by photographs. In recent years Swainston has continued the study of the marine environment with large scale underwater drawings and surveys of reef sites around the world. As a conservationist, Swainston has supported ecological projects and research, he works closely with conservation organizations to help protect fishery resources and increase knowledge of marine life. In 1999 he held successful solo exhibitions of his work in Sydney and Fremantle and has since held other successful exhibitions in France, USA and Australia. His focus became the integration of science and art in a manner that fostered both an appreciation of the extraordinary beauty of the subject and an understanding of its diversity and complexity. Upon Swainston's return to Australia in 1996 he continued this work on marine environments. This led to a documentary being made on Swainston's project, to draw underwater a reef in the Red Sea. Whilst continuing to provide illustrations for a wide range of clients he began to work on methods of capturing the complexity of marine environments. He is presently the official artist for the Conseil Superieur de la Peche in France. Illustrations from this period are held by the Musée National des Arts et Traditions Populaires and the Ministry of the Environment. In 1990 he moved to France and spent several years working from a studio in Paris, where he further diversified and developed his work. During this period he also illustrated numerous guidebooks on the identification of fish and other marine life and worked with scientific institutions around the world such as the Smithsonian Institution, United Nations FAO, CSIRO and many museums and government departments concerned with the marine environment. These included surveying the fish fauna of Western Australia's south coast with the Museum, the deepwater fauna off the northwest shelf with CSIRO and the reef fauna of Papua New Guinea with CRI.

He then worked in the fish department of the Western Australian Museum and took part in a variety of scientific expeditions. I wanted to be a natural history illustrator." "I've always drawn, even when I was really small.

The endless variety of undersea life he encountered in their nets encouraged him to undertake further studies and he graduated from the University of Western Australia with a degree in Zoology in 1981. In the late 1970s he travelled and worked around the north coast of Australia on fishing trawlers. The unique Australian flora and fauna fascinated and inspired him from an early age and he has drawn and painted it since childhood.

Swainston was raised in Yealering in the Western Australian outback surrounded by wildlife.