There’s not much Michael Schwab doesn’t do. In addition to his successful career as an award-winning graphic artist, he’s also a passionate outdoor sportsman, guitarist for a ’60s garage band, horseback rider, bicyclist, and all-round Renaissance man. Did we mention he’s also a member of the Bay Club?
Michael’s one of those refreshing do-it-all, love-it-all kind of people, with a dynamism that sets him apart in a world increasingly focused on categories and labels. Bay Area-based and Oklahoma-born, Michael Schwab can’t be put in a box (and we love that!). Here’s a little background on the man behind the covers of our magazine series—from his creative inspiration, to his passions beyond the drawing board.
What’s your artistic background?
I guess you could say I was the ‘class artist’ in high school. Born and raised in Southern Oklahoma, it seemed to me that everything ‘cool’ was happening somewhere else… namely New York and California. Luckily, I had a couple of art and design instructors during my two years at East Texas State University, who inspired me to pack up and go to the School of Visual Arts in NYC and then on to the Art Center College of Design in West Hollywood, now in Pasadena.
Once I found my way to San Francisco in 1975, I was hired as a poster artist for local businesses like Wilkes Bashford and productions such as Beach Blanket Babylon, along with a few national ad campaigns for brands like Levi’s.
Always a freelance graphic artist, I kept working on honing my own graphic style, while working for clients like Robert Redford, Pebble Beach, Amtrak, Peet’s Coffee, Robert Mondavi, the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy—and now, The Bay Club Company!
Do you have a favorite subject or setting you enjoy drawing?
I like to strategically “create the hero.” Whatever the subject—athlete, animal, architecture—I strive to portray my subject as intriguing, alluring, and memorable.
Favorite quote?
“Less is more.”
What’s another forms of art do you enjoy?
Music. I’m actually a guitar player in a little garage band called Meat & Potatoes. We play mostly ‘60s blues and rock. And if we could include the art of sport, I’m a mountain biker and snow skier. I also love working cattle on horseback, fly fishing, and shooting sporting clays. An artist can become so limited or burned out without experiencing the drama and thrill of the outdoors—not only visually seeing more, but actually feeling it and breathing it all in. The drama of the theatre of nature, sport, and adventure.
Who is your favorite artist?
Well, there’s not just one. Topping my list would be the European poster artists of the early 1900s, like Cassandra, Hohlwein, the Beggarstaffs, and others. There are also the American icons: Maynard Dixon, Rockwell Kent, N.C. Wyeth, Milton Glaser, Seymour Chwast, and Berkeley’s own David Lance Goines. They inspire me.
How do you start and develop a design?
Every project is different. But for me, it always starts with pencil and paper, followed by ink on paper. Old school. There’s no computer on my drawing table. However, with the technical help of my assistant, Carolyn, the original ink drawings are scanned in order to become digital art files.
How do you find balance in your life?
Staying healthy by getting outside and to the Bay Club!
As featured in the summer issue of One Lombard. For recipes, event photos, and the latest club news, click here to read the latest edition or pick up a copy at the Club!