Local artist Michael Schwarcz makes a living as a framer at Aaron Brothers Art and Framing in Market Street and paints in his spare time.

Schwarcz was born in Sweden and moved with his family to California at the age of 5. He and his wife, Cheri, moved to The Woodlands in 2010.

Schwarcz, a self-taught artist, said he has enjoyed painting for as long as he can remember. However, he began dedicating significantly more time to the craft three years ago when he turned a room in his house into a studio.

“Now that I’ve got the studio, I [paint almost] every day, which is really helpful,” Schwarcz said. “That’s the key to the whole thing is just getting going on a daily basis. If you can do that, you’ll develop quickly, I think.”

Cars have been a common theme in many of Schwarcz’s paintings. More recently, he has turned his focus to landscapes to practice incorporating clouds in his paintings.

“I’ve always been kind of a car guy,” Schwarcz said. “I have an old ’65 [Plymouth Valiant convertible] sitting out in the garage. I’ve had it for 10 years, [and] I’ve been working on it for 10 years.”

In his home, Schwarcz has his artwork hanging in every room. Woodlands-area residents will have an opportunity to view and purchase his work during a two-day open house set to take place Dec. 3-4.

“I get to the point where I’ve got no more walls to hang new stuff,” Schwarcz said.

The artist said he tries not to rely on photographs when he paints. Typically, he will come up with an idea in his mind and go from there, he said.

Although being an artist has never been a full-time job, Schwarcz said he hopes to dedicate more time to his art when he retires in two years.

“I have no interest or curiosity about much more at this stage of my life,” Schwarcz said. “I have a lot of curiosity about conveying [art], taking it from here and putting it on the canvas. That’s what I want to do.”