His paintings depicted the lives of the Hopi, Zuni and Navajo tribes.
[2] Swanson's paintings were not caricatures of Native Americans but realistic depictions, and they were thus "positively received by the Indian community.
[1] He won a gold medal from the National Academy of Western Art in 1975.
[3] Swanson married Beverly Anderton; they had a son, Steven, and a daughter, Pamela.
[2] His funeral was held at the Desert Springs Bible Church in Phoenix, Arizona.