My
story
I’m Sara Wilczynska, the artist behind Swil Arts. I studied computer science and spent almost fifteen years working as a software engineer. I started at an investment bank and later joined Google. It was high performance, analytical work. At the time my partner Valentina and I were living in New York City, so everything in my life moved fast. Work was intense. The city was intense. It was ambitious and nonstop.
The name Swil actually comes from my time in tech. My Polish last name can be difficult to pronounce, so at Google I started using “swil” as a simple username — the first letter of my first name and the first three letters of my last name — and the nickname stuck.
During the pandemic, we moved from New York to San Diego while I was still working at Google. We drove across the country, watching the pace of life shift mile by mile. When we arrived, life here felt completely different. I remember going on hikes and seeing blooming cacti for the first time, or noticing surfboards left in the sand at the end of the day. Small things that would have been easy to miss before.
At the same time, I realized something in my work life no longer felt aligned. On paper everything looked great — stable job, good salary, smart people around me. But my days were spent entirely on screens, moving quickly from one deadline to another. I was producing a lot, but I didn’t feel present in what I was doing.
So I left Google without a clear next plan.
The year that
changed everything
Valentina and I decided to take a one year sabbatical and travel through Southeast Asia. While we were living on a small island in Thailand, I bought a simple watercolor set just to have something to do.
I started sketching what was around me — marine life I saw while snorkeling, bits of island life, and small everyday scenes.
Something shifted when I slowed down enough to draw those moments. I experienced the places differently. And when I shared those paintings, people resonated with them. They weren’t looking for technical perfection. They were responding to the feeling of the place.
That was the first time I seriously considered that painting might become my work. When we returned to San Diego, I committed to painting full time.
That’s how Swil Arts began — not as a business plan, but as a response to a life that had been moving too fast for too long.
Since then, my artworks have appeared in galleries, publications, retail spaces, and collaborations with hospitality and lifestyle brands.
What I'm
drawn to
I’m often drawn to places that hold atmosphere, memory, and a sense of everyday life.
A house where a family lived for years. A street someone walks every morning. A courtyard, corner, or building that quietly shapes the feeling of a place. These spaces hold more story than we often realize.
Urban scenes especially fascinate me. Through watercolor and ink, I explore how architecture, light, and the details of everyday life give a place its character.
Sometimes those places are well known landmarks, and sometimes they’re ordinary streets or buildings that matter deeply to someone. What interests me most is the feeling of a place — the sense that life has unfolded there over time.
Through illustration, I try to preserve those places as memory keepers. Whether it’s a landmark, a neighborhood building, or a space that matters deeply to someone, I’m interested in translating its feeling into something people can return to.
That same idea carries into the work I create for clients, from personal commissions to collaborations with brands and hospitality spaces.
the
studio
While I create the artwork, my partner Valentina and I run the studio together.
Valentina brings many years of experience in communications and global digital strategy from the pharmaceutical industry. Their background in storytelling, brand communication, and partnerships helps shape how the studio connects with collaborators and clients.
Together, we are building Swil Arts as a studio that balances creative practice with care, clarity, and meaningful collaborations.
How we
Swil Arts grew out of a desire to slow down and create work with greater intention.
Each illustration is created by hand using traditional watercolor and ink. We focus on small batch production and thoughtful processes that respect both the craft and the planet.
Wherever possible, we work with local printers and vendors, use paper sourced from responsibly managed forests, package orders in biodegradable materials, and ship orders from our website carbon neutral.
The studio is proudly women owned and LGBTQ owned.
community
A portion of every Swil Arts sale — from goods, commissions, and collaborations — is donated to organizations working toward a more equitable and sustainable world.
Press
Sara’s work and the Swil Arts studio have been featured in interviews and media coverage including:
Stars, Soil, Watercolor & Stone: Creative Journeys Home to Magic
From Job to Calling with Sara Wilczynska
Meet Sara Wilczynska
Why Starve? San Diego’s Art Culture is Thriving
THE BIG CONNECT: An Art Shop Talk with Cat Chiu Phillips, Ana Maria Herrera & Sara Wilczynska
Optimizing Point of Sale for the modern cons
How do I get consumers to open my email?
Meet Sara Wilczynska
Conversations with Sara Wilczynska
Discovering Your Life’s Purpose: Sara Wilczynska Of Swil Arts On How to Align Your Goals with Your True Self
Sara has also been nominated for:
Work
For brand collaborations, personal commissions, or wholesale inquiries, we’d love to hear from you.