Washington man Junius Swain has loved to bring joy and amazement to people through a hobby he started at the age of 15.

Illusions, allure, magic  — that’s what audiences of The Magic of Junius Swain have witnessed throughout his years of being a magician. He prides himself on a type of magic called slight-of-hand — tricks that are done through clever hand movements, which take years to master, according to Swain.

Swain became intrigued with magic when he saw a magician at a local school as a youngster.

“When I saw that, I thought, ‘Wow, that’s pretty wild.’ So I think that’s what sparked my interest,” Swain said.

When Swain was in school, he would practice magic tricks while his schoolmates were playing sports, he said. His discipline in learning the tricks paid off.

Swain, now a member of the International Brotherhood of magicians — the largest magician organization in the world — began his magic shows in his family’s living room, he said. Slight-of-hand tricks became his trade through years of practice. But it’s not easy, Swain said.

“A lot of stuff I can do with a deck of cards, you’d see me do it, but if you knew what I took to make it happen, that would amaze you just as much as the trick itself,” Swain said. “When you do it for 30 or 40 years, it comes second nature. One trick I can do for you in 60 seconds, it might’ve taken me three years to learn. When you see someone do it, you think it’s awesome, but if you knew what it took to pull it off, you’d be even more amazed. Magic, from when I was young, has evolved. It’s not even in the same category. Magic has advanced so, so much from when I was young.”

Now, Swain does bigger illusions when we performs at schools and other venues — everywhere from local schools to hotels in the area and beyond, he said. Through his love for magic and entertaining people, Swain continues to amaze and intrigue his audiences.

“Magic brings joy and amazement to people,” Swain said. “I meet very few people that I do magic for that don’t like it. Magic just makes people smile — everyone from a 5-year-old to an adult. You know it’s not real, but it’s still fascinating.”

For more information about The Magic of Junius Swain, visit facebook.com/The –Magic-of-Junius-Swain.