Gabor Svagrik was born in Szeged, Hungary. His family immigrated to the United States and settled in Illinois. Svagrik studied at the American Academy of Art in Chicago where he was fortunate to study with nationally recognized watercolorist Irving Shapiro who stressed the importance of composition, design, and drawing.

Svagrik studied life drawing and illustration and joined the Palette & Chisel, where he studied with Scott Burdick. Since moving to Tucson, Arizona he has also taken workshops with Matt Smith, Skip Whitcomb, and Robert Moore. Svagrik devotes several weeks a year to teaching his own workshops at the Tucson Art Academy, which he founded and owns with his wife. He has also taught at the Scottsdale Artists’ School, Lyme Art Association and other schools around the country.

Svagrik’s passion for painting on location has always been an important process for him to capture the balance between mood, color and natural light. He is particularly inspired by pristine locations and the essential truth of nature. He knows he has succeeded when viewers sense the desert heat, the chill in the air, or the mist over an ocean.