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A Stage Set for Compost

11/21/2019

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Picture
Weekly Compost Bucket
During my
show, people asked
if my studio smelled and they
wondered how I
'staged' my
work.
Picture
Handmade Three-Bin Composter (Bin & Photograph by ERSwett)
Since my
'stage' is a large
three bin composting
system behind our garage,
and my studio is on the opposite
end of the house, in the basement, with
only a computer and other art supplies, it turns
out that neither one actually smells
at all (or at least, not
of rotting food).
Picture
Last weekend's hydrangea's
Picture
This morning's household bucket.
And I don't
really 'set up' my
Compost Compositions
either. I dump food and other
scraps into that plastic white bucket
that I purchased from K-mart a decade ago.
When it gets full, which is at least once a week,
I carry the 10 pounds of waste out to our
'active' compost bin. There, I dump
a bucket's worth of stuff onto
whatever was there
before.
Picture
A 'Compost Compositions' in process.
Then 
I stir it so that
it all gets mixed and
mingled. As you can see, the
bins are square, but the camera
creates a rectangular
​image.
Picture
Compost Composition #6,573 or some such number... by ERSwett
I then crop
my image to create
'Compost Compositions' that
feel as close to the
'real deal' as I
can get. 

Picture
5 Gallon Buckets full of Compost.
There are 
additional players
in this drama, however. I
source most of my raw material
from Umpleby's Cafe & Bakery in Hanover,
NH, where each week I collect five
gallon buckets full of coffee
and other food
​scraps.
Picture
Handmade Three-Bin Composter and photo by ERSwett
The stage
is set for new dramas
to unfold. Every time it's a mystery,
as the contents and light shift
​with each season.
Picture
This morning's compost from Umpleby's Cafe & Bakery
This
morning, the 
buckets contained
a wonderful mix of coffee,
fresh lemons, celery
and some old
lettuce.

Picture
Coffee steaming...
I love
how the fresh
and still warm coffee grinds,
generate steam. I also love how I don't
actually know what was in each bucket until
I stir the heaped mass of coffee
and vegetable scraps...
Picture
Mixed salad, sandwiches and omelettes perhaps?
...and 
uncover a
compellingly speckled
moldy tomato.

Picture
It's all very democratic - - everything gets mixed and mingled together. There is no hierarchy in a compost bin.
I doubt any
of these will become
official 'Compost Compositions'
as the lighting wasn't quite right today.
Stay tuned for more about
that in a later
​post.
Picture
Love contrasts between lights and darks
As you
can see, this 
'behind the scenes'
view of my compost process
is not really behind anything other
than our garage. It's all out there. In the winter,
red squirrels come to feast; In the summer bees and
other bugs hover. For years I've referred to
my work as the 'real deal.' It may be
contained & framed but, like
me, what you see is
what you get..
​
​(most of the time).
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Leaves & The List

11/14/2019

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Picture
It seems absurd,
really, that a gal has to
take care of things at home
even when there are so many cool
things happening, at, say,
her first solo show.

Picture
But autumn
does come to an end,
and snow does appear and the
temperatures do start to fall,
so one does have to
take care of
​things.
Picture
It's funny, though,
how the list evolves over
time. Just as one thing is finally
crossed off, another activity or two or
three gets added on, like mulch
on the garden and those 
perennials that keep
coming back...

Picture
I love,
though, how I
save my favorite activity
for last - - shredding leaves to
use in the compost in the spring when
things are wet and need a boost
of dry carbon. It's a
thing for me.
Picture
Calvin
joins in the
fun, begging me
to throw him sticks while
I methodically mow the leaves
in the still, dry garage. Spread them out,
consolidate, spread again. Back and forth I help
break them down so they can more
efficiently integrate with all that
nitrogen in the melting,
early spring
compost.

Picture
It hit me,
though, as the 
pile got smaller, that
this is another one of those
routines I do all the time that is,
on the one hand, just another item on
the endless list, but on the other hand, is an
integral part of a bigger climate action narrative, a
story in which I find joy in routines that feel
good unto themselves but are also
part of a larger creative
​vision.
Picture
Like 
how I can
share photographs
of a previous year's leaves
on the wall of a gallery and by doing
so inspire others to think differently about
leaves, carbon and our
​material world. 
Picture
Mixed Carbon, 2019 30" x 30" Photograph on Paper (5th on the left) Photo by ERSwett

For me,
climate action and
creativity converge to inspire
joy and new ways of being - - all the time.
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Some Things Must Stay Home

10/27/2019

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Picture
Walt Whitman's "This Compost" & Maidenhair ferns...in process.
If you've
been reading
my blog or following
me on Instagram, you'll know
that I was planning to include my altered
Cotillion Dress in my current
solo show at AVA
​Gallery.
Picture
Compost Compositions in the Mayor Gallery at AVA in Lebanon, NH Fall 2019
If you've been
to AVA to find the dress,
you'll know that it's
not there. 

Picture
The mixing and mingling of wool threads on a silk dress.
It intrigues
me how the creative
process works, and how hard
it can be to separate one thread from
another when they all feel
integral to each 
other.
Picture
Embroidered excerpts from Walt Whitman's poem "This Compost" by ERSwett.
The dress
evolved from last
year's curiosity about how
I could share Walt Whitman's poem
"This Compost" in a colorful and affordable
manner by embroidering it on old
things, like a pillowcase or
a cloth diaper from
the 1960's.

Picture
Embroidered final stanza of Whitman's "This Compost" by ERSwett
While 
embroidering,
I listened to numerous
podcasts about art, women,
the climate crisis, racial justice and
the idea of white fragility. Each voice I heard 
inspired me to rethink my past and
my relationship to it. And then
I remembered the white
dress in the attic...
Picture
Giving life to an old dress with ferns from our yard.
And
it all began
because I love the
colors of compost and so
started taking pictures of it all the
time...until, magically, I had
what they call a 'body
of work' worth
sharing.

Picture
Dryer Lint, 2019 Photograph on Paper, 24" x 24" By ERSwett
But sometimes,
what you love most just
has to stay home. In this case, I am
grateful that I gave my work to the Exhibits
Director at AVA and let her decide. The dress, even
though it seemed essential to the show for
me, just didn't fit and would have
been a distraction.
Picture
Bulbs, 2019 Photograph on Paper, 18" x 18" By ERSwett.
I am grateful
to this beautiful piece
of silk and lace for inviting me
to explore 
my own identity as a creative
person, not just with a camera,
but in life. The dress, as
companion, has 
been key.
Picture
Self-Portrait in The Dress...in process...before the maidenhair, poem and other alterations. By ERSwett
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Compost Compositions at AVA Gallery!

10/24/2019

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Picture
Selfie before people arrive.
Pinch me. Is it true?
Is 5 year's worth of work
really assembled in a real art gallery
for others to see?

Picture
The Opening, October 11. Photograph by Shiela C. Swett
It must be,
because people
showed up to celebrate
the launch, my
'coming'
out...

Picture
Artifacts from Waste & Our Material World Front Porch Conversation, Oct. 22.
And people
gathered again this
past Tuesday for a conversation
about Waste & Our Material World with
Marc Morgan, Director of the Lebanon, NH Solid
Waste Facility. I love how what began
as an isolated exploration of my
backyard compost has 
connected me to 
so many cool
people.

Picture
Talking with Charles Umpleby at the Opening. Photograph by Shiela C. Swett
Like
​the Umpleby's,
who run Umpleby's Cafe & 
Bakery in Hanover, NH - - I get all
my coffee grinds and other
large masses of cool
vegetables from 
them.
Picture
Are these degrees real? Photograph by Shiela C. Swett
Or all
those strangers
I meet at various events
who wonder at my composted
degrees and share their own stories about
celebrating the past while also
re-imagining the
future.
Picture
The Colors of Muscles. Photograph by Shiela C. Swett
It's magical
when a vision becomes
reality - - when showing up to
something seemingly mundane, like my 
compost bin, could inspire not just
me, but also all those who
come in contact with
this work. Who
knew?

Picture
8 x 8 Cash & Carry Compost Compositions.
Please come
share the joy and
experience the wonder 
that is our waste at my artist's
talk next Friday, November 1. It will be
at AVA Gallery at 5pm
.
Oh, and it's also my
birthday and I was thinking how great
it would be to share it with others
who care about all this
stuff. See you then
and there!
0 Comments

Corn Husks & Gratitude

10/11/2019

4 Comments

 
Picture
Corn Husks & Red Onions, 2018 Photo by ERSwett
What is it
about corn husks,
besides their enticing shade of
light green, fanlike spread on the pile,
and their capacity to
​protect?
Picture
Corn Cobs & Shreds, 2019 Photo by ERSwett
For me, it is
much more than the
reassuring taste of what they contain.
It has to do with their history, and the fact that corn
was originally a gift from the indigenous people who lived in
New England to my people, who showed up
500 years ago, unannounced and
unprepared. The results
were not pretty.
Picture
Grilled Corn Husks, 2017 Photo by ERSwett
I am deeply 
grateful for the gift
of corn then and now. Though
today it has a different purpose, perhaps,
inspiring a new point of view on the conversations
that gift started centuries ago. Who has the
right to what land and for what
purpose? And who is 
going to care
​for it?
Picture
Dried Corn Husks, 2018 Photo by ERSwett
It is an honor
that later today I will
be among friends new and old,
celebrating these Compost  Compositions.
They are at once framed compositions of color, shape
and texture as well as narratives about what it
means to live in our world today - - the 
beauty and the mess of it all. Some
days it feels more beautiful
​than others.
Picture
Dryer Lint, 2019 Photo by ERSwett
Today,
I choose to see
the beauty of what is,
not just in the compost pile,
but in my life. Please come see the
show at AVA Gallery.
​It's really cool.
Picture
And also, please
take a moment this weekend
to express gratitude for all those before
us who made our current
harvests ​possible.
4 Comments

It's Showtime - - Continued

9/30/2019

1 Comment

 
Picture
Mussels, 2019 By ERSwett
My first solo show opens in 11 days.
What is the story I want to tell?

Picture
Grapefruit & Snow, 2019 By ERSwett
Is it about the cool colors,
textures and shapes of my Compost Compositions?
​Yes.
Picture
Shredded Paper, 2018 By ERSwett
Is it about the stories
those Compositions tell about
food, culture and the regenerative
power of waste?
​Yes.
Picture
Emerging
And
​there is more.
Behind these photographs
there is me, a woman in mid life
choosing to share her work
and, by default, her
story - - 
Picture
2 Degrees, The Tear 2018 By ERSwett
 A story that
begins with a beginners
mind - - a willingness to explore
not just content that most 
ignore, but process
as well. 
Picture
2 Degrees, 2018 By ERSwett
Perhaps
that is why last year I had
so much fun dismantling and composting
my Harvard and UVA Degrees.
​Why not explore? 
Picture
Maidenhair Fern on Silk Dress, 2019 By ERSwett
Or, perhaps
that is why I am OK
sharing my first attempt at decorating
a silk dress with embroidered
imagery of my own
design.
Picture
Maidenhair Fern (Wool on Silk), 2019 By ERSwett
Now
​that it is Show Time
the connections between these
experiments becomes
clearer. 
Picture
Shadowed Self, 2019 By ERSwett
In a world filled with fear,
I am no longer 
afraid to reframe my
relationship to garbage or
to myself.
Picture
Self Portrait, 2019
To learn more,
you'll have to come to 
​the
 show. The opening is October 11
at AVA Gallery in Lebanon, NH. My Artist's Talk
is November 1 at 5pm, also at AVA Gallery.
Or, you 
can just keep reading this
blog. More 
will be
revealed, 
I'm
​sure.
1 Comment

What's The Point?

8/11/2019

0 Comments

 
Picture
The point
sticks into the Gulf
of Maine. It's 1.5 miles from
our family's house and is a destination
when it's high tide and the beach is covered.
What's the point, you ask? Besides the wild flowers
blowing in the breeze, the waves crashing on
the rocks, and the knowledge that next
year it will still be here, the point
is that today I saw multiple
Monarchs there.
Picture
I stood and
watched them play - -  
gliding in the wind and resting
on the bay laurel. They made me happy - -
their telltale orange and black contrasting with the 
green shrubs and the blue water beyond.
And they made me sad. Will
they survive or not?
Who knows?
Picture
What's the point?
I closed my eyes and imagined
what it would be like to be surrounded
by thousands of these delicate creatures at their
final destination in the mountains of Mexico and understood
that all I needed was that association and idea to invite a momentary
massive flurry of wings which, when I opened my eyes,
were everywhere and no where. At this
point in time, I'm happy  to stay
right here. No plane travel 
needed. Just me and
my imagination.
So cool.

Picture
What's the point? Our imaginations.
Wherever you are,
consider how far you can go
by going nowhere. Look at something in
your yard or in your home and imagine a place far
away. Feel the air, hear the wind and see the
wonder. Then open your eyes again and
be grateful for your imagination.
It's a gift we often overlook.
Happy Happy
August.
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Big Little Things: Summer 2019

7/8/2019

1 Comment

 
Happy Summer!
This was my view a few
days ago while hanging the laundry.
It takes my breath away every
time I go onto ​our
terrace.
Picture
The Laundry View. Photograph by ERSwett 2019
I was
in a great mood
because I had set the day aside
to work on a major embroidery project
I'm exploring this
summer. 
Picture
Today's Project. Photograph by ERSwett 2019
But life
kept getting in the way.
You  
know how it can be - managing the
compost, changing 
toilet-paper rolls, drinking water
to stay hydrated on a hot 
day, cleaning up
after the dog made ​a mistake...

and, of course, doing
the 
​laundry.
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
I think I was
able to finish about
half a leaf between each
interruption. By the time I went
out to hang the laundry, I was feeling 
really frustrated by how slow my progress was.

I'd been feeling bad about other things too. Like the fact
I hadn't written a blog post for more than a 
month and that I hadn't finished
the next playbook

in my series.  ​
Picture
Re-imagining old clothes
But while standing
on the terrace and hearing the
baby birds and seeing a monarch butterfly
head toward the volunteer milkweed in the orchard
we planted, I remembered that not long ago,
none of this was here: no terrace, solar
panels, shrubs or perennials, and
no monarchs or baby birds
​learning to sing.
Picture
A Blank Canvas - Our Yard, 2004
I also remembered
how exciting it was to see
these peonies and iris bloom together
after we had transplanted them that first year
with the terrace garden - that
was 8 years ago.
Picture
We're Here! Peonies & Iris, 2012
Some days
I have to remind myself
that over time, lots of little actions
accumulate and become something larger
than themselves. A single stone becomes a terrace. A
single flower becomes a garden. A single
stitch in a small leaf becomes a
re-imagined
dress.

Picture
Coming to Life. Photograph by ERSwett 2019
Sometimes I
​just have to consciously
remember how things really work,
which is why when I dumped the compost and
took yet another photograph, I remembered the power of
showing up and of big little things. 10 pounds of compost a week
adds up to 500 pounds a year -- a ton over four years. 
That's a lot of food diverted from the landfill.
It's also a lot of photographs
celebrating its
​beauty.
Picture
Grocery List Photograph by ERSwett (At AVA this summer)
So this week
I'm celebrating Big Little
Things. Like the fact that after creating
thousands of Compost Compositions, I finally have
two in a juried show this summer and I'll have a few dozen in
a solo show this fall - - All at AVA Gallery in Lebanon,
NH. Friends told me that if I kept showing
​up for my work and for myself,
cool things  would happen.
They were right.
They are.
Picture
Corn Husks & Red Onion Photograph By ERSwett (In solo show this fall)
Who knew 
the simple climate
action of composting would
lead me to become a photographer?
Who knew that photographing that compost
could lead to learning about embroidery and the craft
of remaking old clothes? Who knew that the
act of remaking old things would
inspire new ways of thinking
and new ways
of being?
Picture
Hemming the dress. Photograph by ERSwett
How are
you celebrating
the Big Little Things
in your day or your week? 
Remember: When you show up for
yourself and those you love, 
cool things can
​happen.

Messages for the Future @ AVA Gallery
AVA's 2019 Summer Juried Exhibition
July 12 - August 21

Picture

Monday Morning's Activities (not listed above):
Writing & mailing post cards to daughter and mother-in-law;
Emptying the dehumidifier in my basement studio;
Packing up some college supplies for a friend, who happens to be passing through, to take down to DC so that we won't have so much to manage in August when our son goes to college there;
Managing a broken nail that I got while packing those supplies;
Receiving a packet of pachysandra from a neighbor with whom I had just spoken during my morning walk - - She mentioned she had more pachysandra than she needed; I mentioned I could use some. I thought the plan was for me to go over and harvest it. What a gift!
And it all happened between 9am and 1pm.
1 Comment

Storied Shelves: The Shoe 'Thing'

5/31/2019

0 Comments

 
Picture
Love these boots. All from The Pink Alligator in Hanover, NH
 I wore these
boots from November
to May this year. Finally, a few weeks
ago, they went into the storage box, from which my 
summer sandals and other cooler shoes emerged. Time for the
seasonal assessment. If I haven't worn something for 
a year or if it doesn't work anymore,
it goes in the spring give
away pile.
Picture
cause blisters, too frumpy...
You might
think, with 26 pairs
of work boots, athletic shoes,
dress shoes and casual shoes, I'd have
enough. But I don't. My athletic shoes are worn out
and I've never really found the 'just right' pair
of casual sneakers...and with this
trip to London, it became 
clear that I needed
some upgrades.
But...
Picture
Window, The Third Estate, London
These days
I'm focused on shoes
and clothes with a story. If they
haven't been well worn by another before
me, I want to  know that the materials
used are ethically sourced, the
​stitches made with care,
and the resources
used, ​fair.
Picture
The Third Estate, Kentish Town, London
So yesterday,
there I was, in Kentish
Town, London, at The Third Estate,
on whose racks and shelves are clothes, shoes,
bags and socks made with love. Each
brand, it seems, has its own
​story to tell.
Picture
Storied Shoes at The Third Estate, London
So I had some fun.
Picture
White Fair Trainer from Ethletic
Picture
Black Fair Trainer from Ethletic
Light or dark Ethletic Fair Trade Vegan Sustainable Trainers?
Picture
These are cute.
Picture
These are cute and comfy.
Funky Kalakar 
Breathable and light
"BreLite Collection" shoes
whose soles come from recycled
tires and uppers are handspun cotton.
They truly are the lightest shoes
ever - - only 250 grams!
A perfect travel 
companion.
Picture
dark, cute and comfy from The Third Estate, London
I ended
up with dark, cute,
comfy and filled with love.
They make me feel like I'm flying.
Maybe that's why The Third
Estate has a bird on
its window
.
Picture
But here's
what I'm learning
about this thing called
"Slow Fashion." It's not about
how fast something is made, it's about the
stories embedded in each fiber and ​in the transaction
itself. Angela, who helped me, wanted me to
feel good. She knew about each
shoe company and
why they
​cared. 
Picture
Another kind of 'green' window
And the
coolest thing?

Most shopping expeditions
leave me exhausted, but after I left yesterday,
I found myself in an unexpected area, ready to explore.
Who knew that by going to The Third Estate,
​I would also experience this
colorful and nuanced
​part of town?
Picture
Cool apartments on a canal
This canal
seemed so quiet and
peaceful, but then I followed

the curve of and light 
on this living building...
curious as 
I tend to be, about the
relationship between 
the
built environment
and nature...

Picture
Living building in Camden Town
...and I found
myself in an entirely
unexpected place, where the
buildings were alive in
a different kind
​of way.
Picture
Cool building in Camden Town, London
So I guess
shoes really are a
thing for me. Comfortable
feet matter but so does my actual
footprint. I think it's cool
when I can care
​for both.
Picture
Loving my new Ethletic Fair Trainers.
3 cheers
for slow fashion,
meandering explorations, and
the simple joy of taking
time to care.

Happy June!

0 Comments

Re-Imagining Gram's Gowns

5/20/2019

1 Comment

 
Picture
Our grandmother's
dresses out for a dance
​in 2007.
Picture
My sister
and I played dress-up.
Our mother ​took
​photographs.
Picture
And then
they hung in my
attic for over a decade...
until ​it was time to
let ​them live
​again.
Picture
Some
went to our
local theater company
and others went to goodwill.
A few stayed behind
though, because,
well, they just
​needed
​to.
Picture
How could
I resist those colors,
textures and the spirit of my
grandmother?
Picture
Well...
Not exactly me.
But what
if...
Picture
I'm a mender
(see last week's blog
post
), not a maker or re-maker, but
maybe there was a costume designer with
the imagination I needed to help
re-create these in my
own image?
Picture
Picture
Picture
Along came
Rebecca Sewart, owner of
Pins & Needles Garment Company. She
saw the potential and, probably with her upcoming
work with Joseph and the Amazing Techni-Color
Dream Coat in mind, started with the
dress. The entire process
​was magic.
Picture
What a 
gift to have an
energetic, creative
person who loves fiber
come to my house and lovingly
​transform a complicated fabric into the 
coolest pair of 'retro' trousers
​a gal could own.
Picture
Gram must 
approve, because I feel
her spirit when I wear her re-imagined
evening gowns, which now contain Rebecca's energy
as well. Stay tuned for our next shared
​creation...It seems that
patience pays. 

Notes:
My sister is the incredible maker, Sarah Swett, who plays with fiber and is currently enamored with making her own clothes. My mother is Shiela Swett, who loves to take photographs of nature out her back door. I learned about Rebecca from the owners of The Pink Alligator, a consignment store in Lebanon and Hanover, NH. Rebecca is now creating costumes for a production of Joseph and his Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat for a theater company in Massachusetts.  

Final thought: I have to assume that those who made my grandmother's clothes and the fabric from which they came earned a living wage, since they were either hand made or couture, but I don't know for sure since working conditions varied fifty years ago. In today's world of fast fashion, though, I am trying hard to use the fabrics I have and keep things as local as possible. This project brings me complete joy because it honors my grandmother's standard of owning well-made clothes that last and my standard of embracing the ethic of slow, sustainable fashion. And in the process, I have clothes that make me feel powerful and beautiful, but which I never would have bought off any rack in any store. Thank you, Gram.
1 Comment
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Evelyn R Swett Photography
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**Let's ReFrame is a weekly newsletter that hopefully inspires joy & new ways of being.
It will include links to recent blog posts, updates about my work, and, best of all, inspirational action prompts
​for you to explore your creativity and passion for the world you love. 
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