Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Tere Schwartzbart. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Tere, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

In 2020, I undertook the most ambitious project of my career, painting a vast collection of relatively unknown tropical fruits from my native El Salvador. Titled “Tropical Roots”, the project is rich with cultural and educational implications. Unexpectedly, collectors from many walks of life have repeatedly expressed fascination with my unfamiliar and very colorful masterworks “Pseudocarpo Uno” and “Pseudocarpo Dos”. Wherever these massive pieces are exhibited, it brings a curious crowd to gather. Invariably. the resulting conversation sheds light on the complex and mutually-beneficial relationship between humble Salvadoran marañon growers and the multi-national corporations selling $7B per year worth of cashews harvested from the marañones.

After Tropical Roots was debuted at White’s Gallery in Montrose, I was invited by Curator Julienne Johnson to exhibit selected pieces at the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum. As the first Salvadoran artist to be featured at the museum, I didn’t know what to expect but I stepped up to the plate and took a swing. Happily, the bright colors of my Salvadoran art were greeted very warmly by the Japanese people and we fell in love with Tokyo! I actually didn’t realize it until my husband and I were back here in the states but I won 3 gold awards from Chairman Katsu Shimmin for my pieces that were exhibited at the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum.

I have felt for years that I am an “ambassador” for Christ to the nations and Tropical Roots confirmed that more dramatically than ever. After hearing about my museum exhibit, Diego Dalton, the Salvadoran Ambassador to Japan invited me to have a solo exhibit and a reception at the El Salvador Embassy in Japan. Ambassadors and diplomats from around 13 countries attended the tri-lingual (Spanish, English and Japanese) event in Tokyo and enjoyed a reception featuring pupusas and yuca con chicharron. Their response to Tropical Roots was favorable and the possibilities for further collaboration are exciting.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I was born in El Salvador. Like a lot of Salvadoran children, I entered the workforce by the age of 8. I didn’t have much of a childhood. When I left El Salvador, I was literally running for my life to escape the civil war. I had no clue at the time that tragedy and turbulence in my homeland would lead to my wildest dreams coming true in America. I obtained my citizenship, worked hard in several careers and attended Bible college but my beloved fine art was just a dream. One day, I felt like God was saying “Stop dreaming! Go and paint!”. Enrolling in community college, I started painting landscapes, flowers and abstracts in oil and acrylic with the occasional charcoal.

Many dreams have come true since that time. I was welcomed as a visiting artist at the Bezalel Academy of Art in Jerusalem. I opened Galeria Bezalel here in the states where several emerging artists made their first sales. Most recently, my art was exhibited by invitation for a broad international audience at the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum and the El Salvador Embassy in Japan.

Although my mission is evolving, it is clear that I have been called by God to paint unusual tropical fruits, flowers and landscapes from my native El Salvador and to introduce the world to them. The response from collectors has transcended “mere” art to make my Tropical Roots a bit of a conversation piece in the global cultural dialogue, building bridges among El Salvador, the US and Asia.

Looking forward, I hope to expand my modestly-priced merchandise beyond greeting cards to include coffee mugs and apparel and to partner with realtors to display my colorful pieces in their staging of upscale residences for open houses and walkthroughs.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

I met the wonderful Lydia Takeshita of LA Artcore early on, when I was still relatively unknown. While her personality and her message were very encouraging, she said that my exhibiting at Artcore was not a slam-dunk and to check back with her in 18 months. 18 months seems like a long time for a newer artist excited about a storied venue like Artcore but I waited patiently and went back excited to try again.

When I went to Artcore and inquired about a meeting with Lydia, I was met with what seemed like cold indifference. Eventually it came out that I was misreading the attitude of the folks at Artcore — Lydia had died during the 18 months while I was waiting to meet with her — with understandable grief, they told me that I had missed my opportunity and that the future of Artcore was uncertain in light of her passing.

I went back some months later without an appointment. The gallery was closed but there was a man taking out the trash. We struck up a conversation and from that chance meeting, he introduced me to Julienne Johnson who invited me to exhibit at the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum (a much more prestigious world-class venue). The museum exhibit put me on the radar of the Salvadoran Ambassador to Japan, Diego Dalton who invited me to have a solo exhibit at the embassy and threw an upscale reception for me with ambassadors from around 15 countries.

If I had exhibited with Lydia when I first hoped to, I likely would have never exhibited in Japan for an international audience.

You never know what God may be waiting to do if you will just take the first step.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

I am literally on a mission from God. To the extent possible, everything I do is for the glory of God. I don’t consider myself to be in competition with other artists. I am not primarily motivated by business or profit. I have a call on my life and it is to reflect the beauty of His creation with my paint brush.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://galeriabezalel.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tereschwartzbart/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/zta.zta.9
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tere-schwartzbart-3549a1220/
• Twitter: @artschwartzbart
• Youtube: @tereschwartzbart9110
• Other: https://rree.gob.sv/el-salvador-promueve-su-arte-y-cultura-en-japon-con-muestra-de-pinturas/ https://www.einpresswire.com/article/635513040/salvadoran-american-fine-artist-tere-samayoa-schwartzbart-heads-to-tokyo https://twitter.com/EmbSVJapon/status/1674765825885220864?s=20

Image Credits
Aaron Schwartzbart, Tere Schwartzbart