Æiden Swan is a naturalist artist whose work bridges myth, mysticism, and the physical world. Born in the Eastern Cape, she had an unusual upbringing that shaped her creative path. After living in Johannesburg and later settling in Cape Town, she pursued diverse careers, including graphic design, owning a boulangerie, bird rescue, and running a couture house. In 2017, she returned fully to art, focusing on humanity’s fragile connection to nature. Using ink, charcoal, gold leaf, and ochre tempera, she constructs dreamlike imagery exploring ancestry and natural cycles. She deepens this bond by foraging earth pigments to create her own inks. Æiden has exhibited widely and contributed artwork to major film productions such as Raised by Wolves and Invasion. A passionate conservationist, she spent a decade in bird rescue, contributed to the Tracker Manual (2024), and runs ink-painting and breadmaking workshops.

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These designs highlight some of our most loved indigenous South African birds and butterflies, many of which she has worked intimately with while working in bird rescue. This collection aims to draw attention to these incredible creatures that we share our lives with, to encourage people to learn about them and ultimately to save them. 

Each bird or butterfly is hand painted in my distinctive style on a background of opulent aged gold and copper leaf or stained paper.