Stephen W. Schwake is an artist who lives in Austin, Texas. He is primarily an oil painter, but also makes prints, drawings, and the occasional sculpture. He works as a designer at a well-known custom glass company in Austin, where he designs and fabricates etched and sand-carved glass, leaded glass, and painted glass.

Originally from the small town of Sulphur, OK, He began his art education by studying graphic design for a year at OSU Tech in Okmulgee, OK. After learning that commercial design was not his interest, he studied Studio Art at Cameron University in Lawton, OK for two years. Dissatisfied with the culture of Oklahoma, he moved to Austin, TX, where he graduated with a BFA from the University of Texas at Austin in 1999.

His influences include, but are not limited to:

80's skateboard graphics, hot rods, science, especially biology, stained glass, American roots music, mid-century Modern design, art history, and World War II fighter planes.

He is partial to spicy food, black coffee, and Siamese cats. He enjoys skateboarding, fishing, camping, kayaking, surfing, and looking at bugs.