Sylvia de Swaan

For years now the photography of Sylvia de Swaan has touched me deeply.  There is European history, feelings and emotions, and a personal interest of peoples slaughtered and displaced just for being different, powerless.  In some of her projects, Sylvia de Swaan is an intimate part of the subjects of her compositions as can be seen with her hands reaching and connecting.

It is a privilege and an honor to present Sylvia de Swaan --

Eaton:  Please introduce yourself.

Sylvia:  I’m an artist/photographer who was born in Romania and has lived and worked in Mexico, Europe, and the U.S.A. I’m a traveler, explorer and seeker. Though I adapt easily to new people and places, on some level I often feel like the odd person out, the one who can’t give a short one line answer about who I am or where I’m from, the one whose lineage was truncated before I was even born and whose early history is a blur of trauma, change and movement.

Eaton:  What do you do?  Most importantly to me, why do you do what you do?

Sylvia:  I have a long track record in the arts dating back to my teens at the High School of Music and Art, one of NYCs public schools for specially gifted students - where we already were treated as serious artists. In my early twenties I went on a six-month visa to Mexico City to make art and have an adventure, and ended up living there for eleven years – got married, had a son and became an active member of the arts community. My works on paper, paintings, light boxes, and others were exhibited in numerous one person and group exhibitions. Eventually at a lull in my work, I became interested in photography and had an informal apprenticeship with Rodrigo Moya, a Mexican photographer who took me under his wing and taught me the rudiments of the medium. I only meant it as a temporary digression from my “real work,” but much to my surprise photography little by little won me over.

I’m one of those fortunate people who wake up in the morning and mostly do what I love to do, i.e., my own work - whether that consists of being involved in a long term project; sometimes traveling, other times being home – shooting film, processing, editing, designing a book, preparing for exhibitions, or writing about the work. Or on the other side, to earn money or part of the overall creative process, I teach photography, give slide lectures, curate exhibitions, and for sixteen years was Executive Director of a studio arts organization.

Waiting - © Sylvia de Swaan

Eaton:  Your resume is remarkable. In my opinion, it is a statement about your work ethic and the quality of your artwork. What did you do to become recognized in the art/photography world? How do you sustain your incredible reputation and the flow of your work?

Sylvia:  Thank you for considering me more successful than I think of myself – but it is a fact, to paraphrase some famous person, that nobody thinks that they are thin enough, rich enough or famous enough. I’m a Leo with a Virgo rising – which means that I’m both outgoing and introverted. My underlying belief is that if one makes meaningful work wherever one is located, somebody will take notice. That was my philosophy when in 1979 I was invited to be the director of a fledgling residency program for sculptors located in Utica NY, which under my watch gained an international reputation among artists, was awarded a New York State Governor’s Art Award, a Mac Arthur Award – and it’s also my philosophy regarding my own work. I’m not particularly good at standing around at openings with a glass of wine in hand making scintillating conversation – but I do think it’s necessary to do professional outreach on some level, so that ones work doesn’t languish in the closet with no one to look at it.

The internet and social media are very useful for disseminating ones art to a broader audience, without having to be in that awkward position of banging on a gallery door with a heavy portfolio in ones hand. I post images on Facebook, in part to look at them myself in an open arena, using it as an editing space – but at the same time my worldwide community of “friends,” among them artists, photographers, critics, writer, can see them and react or not…so of course a much broader international public now know my work than before.

Eaton:  Who and/or what influences and/or motivates you?

Sylvia:  My influences are cross-disciplinary. Since I didn’t start out as a photographer from the very beginning, I don’t share in some of the holy canons of photography that seem to preoccupy others. In some ways my work relates more to film and literature – because of my interest in narrative and time and memory. Nevertheless my early inspirations were painters: Kandinsky, German Expressionists, Surrealists, Picasso, Goya, Redon and many others. As to photography Bill Brandt, Duane Michals, Kenneth Josephson, Roger Ballen, Lorna Simpson, Duane Michaels, Nan Goldin, Eikoh Hosoe, James Nachtway and many, many others.

 

 Portal CZ - © Sylvia de Swaan

Eaton:  Your photographs, “War Game” and “The Tunnel,” command my attention, as do many other of your images. What are you trying to communicate to those who view your art?

Sylvia:  The two images that you mention are part of a long-term project titled, “Return,” that I began in the immediate aftermath of the fall of the communism – in order to explore the terrain of my early childhood, and retrace routes my family traversed as Holocaust survivors and refugees at the end of the Second World War. These images are part of a symbolic language that I developed over time to depict the invisible, the bygone and the intangible. In my journal I’d written, “how does one photograph and absence?”

By the way, none of my photos are photoshopped. They’re all taken real time and space. So for example “The War Game” is a picture of my hand holding a model P38 bomber (that for a nano second is meant to look real) overlooking a railroad yard in Poland to depict a recurring nightmare from my childhood years.

So as not to repeat myself excessively with things I’ve said elsewhere, I copy and paste a post from Fototazo that tells about this project and my intent to work on a sequel this coming summer:

The Image: Sylvia de Swaan - The War Game.

Eaton:  You have an extensive background speaking to the subjects of being published, exhibiting your artwork, and receiving grants. What advice can you share with an artist or photographer who wants to broaden his or her own horizon?

Sylvia:  There are no formulas, but I think for starters you have to love your work and be sufficiently engaged in it to push to ever further and to be willing to edit out your favorites, because they may not contribute to the narrative as a whole – but also you have to share it, send it out and apply for stuff. While it does happen sometime that artists have been “discovered” without any effort on their parts, it is pretty rare and unlikely.

There are two sides to being an artist – one is the inspirational, visionary, who shouldn’t be overly concerned with audience or money during the process of creation – the other is the more practical, professional. And of course because there are many more artists than opportunities available every application is a long shot. But it’s definitely worth trying - first because one gets better at it with practice - better at editing, better at presentation – and second because respected professionals get to see the work, and even if one isn’t chosen as numero uno, somebody might remember and recommend one's work at a later date. 

When I apply for a fellowship or grant, I put a lot of work into it, doing the best I can at that particular moment. When I send it off I usually don’t think of it again until just before the scheduled announcement dates.

Below is a link to the American Society for Media Photographers that offers some very useful advice about competitions and how to apply:

American Society of Media Photographers: Photography Competitions.

Eaton:  To date, what accomplishment has created the most satisfaction for you?

Sylvia:  Like any artist who has worked for a long time I’ve had my share of successes and disappointments. What gives me the greatest satisfaction is my trajectory as a whole, for the fact that I’ve consistently developed and grown as an artist, have never had to compromise my aesthetic or beliefs – and though I haven’t gotten rich I do support myself and have been honored to be awarded prizes and fellowships for my works.

But my formative milestones were being accepted to attend the H.S. of Music and Art; venturing to Mexico in the 1960s and creating a rich, interesting new life there; having a son; living in New Orleans in the mid 1970s; coming to upstate New York; my sixteen-year job as director of Sculpture Space, which I left to devote myself again to my personal work. I feel grateful and privileged for all the fellowships and awards that have facilitated the creation of new work and hope to continue making meaningful and relevant work that will garner me support in the future.

Eaton:  Please share any links to any sites so that readers can see more of your work.

Sylvia:  Though I’ve only mentioned one here by name, but I work on several long-term projects concurrently: 

View Return at the Empty Kingdom site here.

Sylvia de Swaan's website can be accessed here.

Her photo blog is found here.

For those readers who use Facebook, some of Sylvia de Swaan's work can be seen here.

Eaton's Note:  Read Sylvia de Swaan's resume at her website here.  Please also note that I received an updated version of the resume from Sylvia de Swaan.  Rather than repost the entire resume here, I shall share some current information:

-Ongoing -- Reviewer, Photography Reviewer, Virginia Center for the Creative Arts
-2013 -- Guest Curator; "Contemporary Drawing:  Recent Trends" -- Kirkland Art Center, Clinton, NY
-2012 -- Instructor, Intermediate B&W Photo, Pratt Institute

Miru Kim - The Camel's Way is Showing in Taiwan

I have been so focused on family issues - a daughter's wedding, another daughter's university studies, and another daughter's visit during the Lunar New Year holiday - that I completely missed the announcement that Miru Kim currently is exhibiting her fine art series The Camel's Way in Taiwan.

Showing at the Pier 2 Arts Center in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, The Camel's Way will conclude 2013/03/03.  The series is not yet on her website; however, Ms. Kim does have a few short videos on Vimeo that provides a hint of this and other projects.  A reader will appreciate, I believe, her views and her intelligent creativity.  Be mindful, please, that her photography contains fine art nude work...and she is the subject of her compositions.

The link to Ms. Kim's videos showing her fine art nude work is here.

Miru Kim's website can be accessed here.

Tomas Eriksson - Fine Art Photographer From Sweden

Tomas Eriksson is a fine art photographer from the town of Gävle, which is in Sweden.  He is very enthusiastic about his wife and children, and I know that his focus is on his family above all.  He is a marketing coordinator for a leading industrial welding and piping company in Sweden.

For him, photography is a cure for the stresses of life.  Being in the field with the camera makes him forget those everyday problems we all face.  I must say that his cure is most excellent.

Everyday life provides plenty of inspiration and motivation.  Without question, life's many experiences, both the positive and the negative, have affected Tomas as a person and as a photographer.

As I mentioned by way of introduction, Tomas is from Gävle.  In fact, he has lived there his entire life.  It is an industrial city by the Baltic Sea and near the River Dalälven.  As can be seen in so many of his photographs, this region provides a lot of inspiration and photographic opportunities.

He is fascinated by industrial buildings as well as old buildings.

I asked Tomas about his vision and dream.  This is what he told me:

"My vision and dream when it comes to photography is to develop my photography style.  I have started the walk, but this path contains a lot of slippery rocks...hopefully I will get to the end without losing my grip too many times.  I know this sounds cryptic, but I come from a country where fine art photography is rather unknown."

Sweden, according to Tomas, has a long and strong tradition of nature and documentary style photography.  It is expected that a photographer should do very little post processing work.  That type of conservative thinking is not a principle followed by Tomas, fortunately.  I will quote him directly as he speaks to this subject; his comments about the photographer Nick Brandt is insightful:

"Personally, I want to see a finished photographic work where it is obvious that the photographer has put his or her soul into the whole process.  I want to feel something, I want the photo to speak to me and I want the photo to give me the opportunity to get carried away in my own thoughts and fantasies. Nick Brandt's photos give me all this as do so many other great photographers out there. I do not care if Nick lives his life in Photoshop; it is the outcome, the final photo that matters to me."

There came a point in the maturation process of life that Tomas realized that he needed to be his own master.  Fine art photography lets him be in charge of the entire photographic process from dreaming and conceiving to printing the finished product.  The maturation of Tomas was not without pain, however, it was important for him to not be constrained by the given rules or the status quo.

If the dodging and burning the sky will produce the desired results in a composition, then he will dodge and burn the sky.  If adding texture completes the image, then texture will be added.  On the other hand, it is important for him to for the original scenery to be honest and not brought in from another image or created from scratch.

Tomas shoots in RAW mode.  In Camera RAW he makes adjustments to the white balance, and occasionally will make black and white conversions.  In addition to the techniques mentioned previously, he will also work with HDR.

Being so close to water, he spends much time photographing water using long exposures.  The exposure time can be from 30 seconds to three minutes.  He uses a tripod during long exposures.  Additionally, he will select from ND400, ND64, ND8 and gradual ND filters that he always carries.

In the not too distant past, Tomas worked with a number of other photographers in a fund-raising event in Bari, Italy to raise funds for children suffering from cystic fibrosis.  I have a lot of respect for this man.

To see more of his fantastic fine art photography, please visit Tomas Eriksson Photography.

All photographs posted in this article:  © Tomas Eriksson.

Camille Paglia on Capitalism and Art

Professor Camille Paglia is a thinker and a philosopher.  Her views about the current demise of fine art, and how fine art can gain new life is sure to provoke.  Read her thoughts, beliefs, and ideas about fine in this Wall Street Journal article she wrote here.

Ricardo Segovia - Photographer from Mexico

I have known Ricardo for a few years, and he has some common traits that many other fine art photographers possess:  kindness to others, gentlemanly, high values and expectations, and genuine artist vision and talent.  His attention to detail is keen, and his desire to create works of excellence is palpable.

What better way to illustrate my assertions than to see some of Ricardo's artwork.  This is a link to that part of his website that features his Autumn Leaves project:  Autumn Leaves by Ricardo Segovia.

I look forward to seeing his artistic creativity in the future.