Starting this week, Palmerton Area Library will exhibit the works of Paul Swedar, a man with more than 50 years of painting experience.

“I’ve been putting my paintings up there for quite a few years, and I talked to Diane Danielson about doing a one-man show and contributing some of the proceeds to the library.”

Swedar has sold paintings, including portraits, seascapes, still life, wildlife and pets, for years through his business, Oils by Swedar.

When he found that many people did not invest in art due to prohibitive pricing, he decided that he could provide more paintings to eager buyers while benefiting the library even more.

“This show that we’re doing up there, I’m bringing prices down so that the working man can afford it. Nothing’s going to be over $125,” he said.

The exhibition and sale will run from April 11 to 18.

The Nazareth resident and Nesquehoning native has always counted art as a passion, one that blossomed with his love of sports.

“When I was a kid, I started drawing. I used to draw portraits of baseball players, Mickey Mantle and Yogi Berra,” he said.

By the time he graduated high school, Swedar had decided to enlist in the Navy. When he arrived in Italy, he met up with a group of six brothers who painted pictures of the servicemen visiting the area.

“That was their livelihood. They took orders and had the paintings ready by the time they were at the next dock,” Swedar said. “I learned some easier ways to paint from them, some tricks of the trade.”

After his service was up, Swedar spent 35 years as a postal clerk at the Lehigh Valley Post Office. He volunteered as a coach and umpire in various sports on the side. Following retirement, he served as a Bible study teacher at the Northampton and Carbon County Prisons.

Even with a full-time job, volunteer efforts, and a family to raise, he kept up his painting hobby.

When he became acquainted with some employees at the Crayola Factory, he found a nearly endless source of supplies. A shipping worker, who had been taking damaged, mislabeled and otherwise unsellable products, The Crayola employee wasn’t a painter, and didn’t know anyone who was. When Swedar revealed his interest in art, the man invited him to stop by and pick up some supplies.

“I must have filled up my car five or six times, so I didn’t have to buy supplies for a while. I did a painting of his family, his wife and him and the kids, a 2-foot-by-3-foot, and I gave it to him for giving me all of these supplies. He was really happy with that,” Swedar said.

Another employee offered him professional paint brushes as well. He gladly accepted, and still has those brushes today.

His brother has kept him supplied with frames that he finds while shopping yard sales and thrift stores.

With those valuable tools, Swedar painted pictures of the Nazareth High School state champion wrestlers, the coaches and quite a few famous figures as well.

While Sugar Ray Leonard was in the Poconos for training, Swedar went ahead and painted him a portrait as a gift. Unfortunately, the piece was stolen before he had the chance to present it to Leonard.

When Larry Holmes defeated Muhammad Ali in the ring, Swedar thought he would make a painting for him. He recalled presenting the portrait to Holmes, who was skeptical about the gift, thinking that Swedar wanted to take his money.

“I said, no, Larry, this is just something special you could put in your restaurant,” he said with a laugh.

These days, Swedar takes a special interest in wildlife and pet painting, covering everything from majestic horses to cute kittens. Art is part of his life, and it is something that he wishes to pass down to future generations, whether he sells someone a beautiful painting, or provides a budding artist with their own set of tools.

When he received a set of paints from a satisfied customer, he wasn’t sure what to do with it. After all, he still had all the supplies he could need. While attending Belfast Bible Church, though, he decided it could do more good for someone else.

“There’s a little girl at the church, and she had just started getting into painting, so I gave it to her as a gift. She started crying when I gave it to her, she was so happy.”

One could easily see Swedar continuing his business into the indefinite future. After all, it’s one of his core passions in life, and by the look of it, it always will be.

“Sports and art, those are the things I’ve always enjoyed doing,” he said.