Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Rick Swanson. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Rick, appreciate you joining us today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?
Now that I am retired from paid employment, I can give more attention to things like volunteerism and, of course, my own artistic endeavors. One of the opportunities I’ve given myself is to collaborate with other creatives, especially with poets. I’ve engaged in a number of such collaborations in the past year, and one of those proved to be both challenging and rewarding. I applied for a juried exhibition of poetry and art at a regional arts venue near where I live, and was selected to be a participating artist. I was given the opportunity to nominate the poetic work for which I would create an accompanying piece of visual art, but by the time I responded, those poems had already been spoken for. I was assigned a poem which was both intellectually thought-provoking but also difficult to digest. I was afraid I bit off more than I could chew. In the end, I latched on to a few key stanzas of the poem, and treated my task more like a painter, who thoughtfully chooses elements of composition into a coherent scene. I did the same photographically, working with models, and selecting peripheral elements to put into the scene to make a pair of portraits to go with the poem. I later met the poet, who expressed his pleasure at how I interpreted his poem with my art. I’ve had similar experiences and outcomes with other poets, so I hope to continue to engage my art in this way.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
I am a photographer and educator, and my primary activity is to create visual art for display in the home or workplace. I chose this outlet over being a portrait or wedding photographer, in part because I live in a community saturated with excellent portrait photographers, and I was not interested in competing against them for a relatively small customer market. In addition to producing decorative art, I provide services to fellow artists such as creating digital images of their paintings, pottery, or other work, so that they can either have prints reproduced, or sometimes just so they have quality images of the art for their websites. I enjoy working with other creatives in this way and putting their art work in the best possible light.
I provide community education through a local art gallery in my community, teaching photography basics to beginning photographers, especially to newly retired individuals who are ready to explore some creative outlets. For all the ways smart phone technology has made taking pictures as simple as possible, we’ve lost awareness of basic elements of photography such as composition, lighting, exposure, depth of field. My instruction returns these principles to the forefront, so people can experience the satisfaction of taking pictures mindfully, as opposed to mindlessly.
In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?
I can think of several ways that a community can support artists and creatives in their midst. First, we all need an audience, so the best way a society can support creatives is by showing up! Attend live music performances, go to art receptions and poetry readings, attend art fairs and craft sales, even eat at restaurants that invite solo musicians to perform during dining hours. Secondly, show a little love by spending even small amount of money. For musicians, leave a tip in the tip jar, or buy a sticker or CD. For visual artists, you don’t have to spend hundreds on a large piece of wall art… many artists offer items at lower price points (mugs, tote bags, greeting cards) that can make a great gift for someone else. Also, consider adding art to places in your home you may have overlooked. What can you add to a bathroom or kitchen that would dress that space up a little bit? Thirdly, thank and patronize the venues that give artists and musicians a place to display or perform their work. Fourthly, engage with artists and musicians as people. Strike up a short conversation with a singer between sets; ask a visual artist about the inspiration behind one of their pieces. Follow the creative person on social media, and share your experience with your own followers. Finally, advocate with your local and state civic leaders for continued support of the arts through local, regional, state, and federal arts grant programs.
What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?
My creative journey is driven by my desire to leave some evidence behind that I cared about and was attentive to the world in which I live. We are in a turbulent time in our country’s history, and I think it would be a shame if I left no artistic record behind of how I navigated through it. I care about the disregard we show towards the poor, or toward people of color, or towards the elderly, or towards persons with disabilities, or towards immigrants. I care about the increasing wealth disparity we see. I care that our political thought and social discourse is characterized by irrationality, conspiracy, and religious extremism. Historians one hundred years from now will look back and try to understand just what happened in this country. I wish to leave a record of photographic art that gives one person’s perspective.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.foxswanartsgallery.com
- Instagram: @rpswansonphotography
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100088859933597
Image Credits
All photographs are property of Rick Swanson.