Baker Artist Portfolios

Red Swan is a women-owned, Baltimore-based mural studio run by Hanna Moran and Lindy Swan. Both artists trained as oil painters in college, initially imagining more traditional studio careers. In 2014, they met while painting educational murals in Baltimore-area schools and quickly fell in love with public art—its openness, accessibility, and ability to reach people in their everyday lives. That shared experience led them to start Red Swan, and for the past decade they have been designing and painting community-driven, site-specific murals throughout Maryland, DC, Virginia, and the greater East Coast.

Hanna grew up in Baltimore and returned to the area after studying painting at The University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee. Lindy was raised in Wisconsin and moved to Baltimore to attend the Maryland Institute College of Art, where she received a BFA in Painting. Coming from fine art backgrounds, they combine realistically rendered elements—such as oversized flora and fauna—with colorful, dynamic abstract patterns to create murals that feel joyful, uplifting, and deeply rooted in place.

Their murals have been commissioned by small businesses and community organizations across the region, as well as larger public and cultural institutions such as the Baltimore Orioles and the National Aquarium. They have also collaborated with national brands and nonprofits including Patagonia, Giant Food, World Central Kitchen, and United Way of Central Maryland, and federal institutions such as the United States Botanic Garden. Their work has been featured in group exhibitions and international mural festivals that bring together public artists from around the world.

Red Swan’s murals are painted using a combination of spray paint and house paint to achieve a mix of soft gradients and clean lines. Birds in flight appear throughout their work as a recurring motif, evoking a sense of buoyancy, movement, and optimism that they aim to bring into public spaces. Their practice is grounded in a collaborative, research-based approach to design, drawing from local wildlife, history, culture, and landscape to create artwork that fosters connection and community pride.