Evelyn R. Swett Photography
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The Power of a Single Plant

11/21/2020

1 Comment

 
Picture
Christmas Cactus Bloom, November 2020 Photo by ERSwett
A single
small plant, a
gift in 2003, grows for
17 years, blooming regularly
just before Thanksgiving, as if feeling
our longing for color, just as
the days darken and
trees stand
baren.
Picture
Christmas Cactus Plant (a gift from my mother-in-law in 2003), Fall 2020 Photo By ERSwett
It was
a gift from my
mother-in-law, its

abundance reflecting her
deep love for the keeping & caring
of all kinds of plants. During this
time of Thanksgiving, I am
grateful for her and
for this pink
cactus.
Picture
Dried Blossoms on Paper, Fall 2020 Photo by ERSwett
For me,
photographing
the spent blooms has also
been an invitation to see the beauty
embodied in decay, especially
during the past 3 years,
when she has been
in decline.
Picture
Composted Blooms, November 2020 Photo by ERSwett
Last
week, the pink
blossoms lay beside stale
bread & a banana peal. 3 years ago,
those blossoms lay on fresh snow, mixed with
spent leaves & flowers. I doubt Pam ever imagined the
powerful impact that small plant with its pink blossoms would
have on me. It was this image from 2017 that inspired
me to begin sharing my work in new ways,
including making a set of greeting
cards with a variety of
images from that
​year.

Picture
Dried Flowers, 2017. Photo by ERSwett
This
first 'dried
flowers' photograph
is part of my original "Compost
Composition" greeting ​card collection.
There is still a limited supply available, which
I hope to get out into the world. Please express your
gratitude for the US Post Office by writing
cards to those you love. Rumor has
it that these images make
people feel good.
Here's a
link.
Picture
Mixed set of 8 Compost Composition greeting cards, Fall 2020
1 Comment

Why be a Photographer?

10/7/2020

7 Comments

 
Picture
Water 3, October 2020 Photo by ERSwett
It's the light...
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Water 4, October 2020 Photo by ERSwett
...and the shapes.
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Water 6, October 2020 Photo by ERSwett
It's the
mesmerizing interplay of
water & 
wind...
Picture
Water 7, October 2020 Photo by ERSwett
...and
the ongoing
invitation to get lost
in the moment while falling
in ​love with the
wonder of
​it all.
Picture
Water 11, October 2020 Photo by ERSwett
Sometimes
I have to get lost in order
to find what I
need.

Picture
Water 8, October 2020 Photo by ERSwett

How
are you getting
lost these
​days?

7 Comments

Healing in the Garden

8/27/2020

0 Comments

 
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Monarchs on Joe Pye Weed, September 2020 Photo by ERSwett
It's true!
If you plant it,
they will
come.

Picture
Raised beds, 2010. Photo by ERSwett
At first,
back in 2010,
I loved straight lines &
beds high enough to deter
our ​new puppy. All I wanted was to
grow lots of food as efficiently
​as possible.

Picture
2013 view looking south with rain barrel experiments in view. Photo by ERSwett
By 2013,
the compost had
moved out; 
Three layers
were too hot & dry; And a new
north-south alignment 
just felt better.
Picture
2015 view into the garden with grapes finally taking off. Photo by ERSwett
Over
time, the ideas in Toby
Hemenway's book
 Gaia's Garden, 
transformed my thinking, inviting experimentation
with fewer paths, more curves & the
integration of pollinator-
friendly plants.
Picture
2016 experiments with mounding and soft edges. Photo by ERSwett
My family
thinks it's crazy to
redesign the garden every
few years as each one seems pretty
cool, like this rounded mounded central axis
filled with a mix of annual vegetables and perennials.
But for me, these changes reveal how this garden was becoming
more than just a space to grow vegetables. It was
a safe place for me to connect with and
explore the power of the
earth herself, this
thing called
Gaia.
Picture
2018 abundance. It turns out, though, that I prefer bush beans. Photo by ERSwett
By 2018,
cucumbers emerged
from beneath pole beans, borage
invited pollinators, and there was hardly a
need to water, as the composted and well-shaded
soil sustained itself throughout the summer. I had finally
created my own 'Gaia's Garden' paradise.
So it seems strange that I would
take it apart & essentially
start over.
Picture
Garden redesign in progress, September 2018 Photo by ERSwett
But
that's just
what I did, creating
a circular space aligned with
the quadrants of a compass and based 

on historic herb garden designs.
I didn't know what this
new space would
be like...
Picture
Completed garden redesign, end of September 2018 Photo by ERSwett
...until
I planted the
echinacea and finally
understood that gardening is not
about how many peas I harvest. For me, it's
about how I can heal myself so that
together my garden and I
can help heal the
earth.
Picture
Abundance 2020 Photo by ERSwett

Summer Reading

In addition to re-reading Gaia's Garden, these others books have also captivated and inspired me this summer. It feels as if the earth is in all of our hands right now. Digging deeper is the only way to go.
​

Drew, Sarah Gaia Codex
Hemenway, Toby Gaia's Garden
Jewell, Jennifer The Earth in Her Hands
Kincaid, Jamaica My Garden (Book): 
Penniman, Leah Farming While Black
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Meaning in the Garden

6/7/2020

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Picture
Ready to Work, 2020 Photo by ERSwett
There's
work to do 
at home and all
around, so we've been
working - digging & mulching,
pruning & planting. It
​feels good to
​work hard.
Picture
Yard sale Bird Surrounded Photo by ERSwett
And
even though
these phlox are out
of control and need attention,
I'm OK with their extravagant abundance
because five years ago, there was
nothing in that particular place
but a neglected corner
of the terrace.
Picture
Purples on the hillside, 2020 Photo by ERSwett
Those
lupin blew over
from a neighbor's field,
but the comfrey by its side and
those chives behind were intentionally
planted to increase soil fertility on what was once
a rocky dry hillside. These woodland phlox, so different
from those flowers surrounding the bird,
thrive in a space that was once
a pile of sticks.
Picture
Woodland phlox in the shade of river birches. Photo by ERSwett
These
phlox and
this myrtle (or
Vinca Minor) have
finally merged on the
hillside by our driveway.
5 years in the making,
this space is, at
last, feeling
whole.
Picture
Merging groundcovers in the front. Photo by ERSwett
I am
grateful
to my garden
for reminding me
that neglected places
can be transformed. There
just needs to be a plan, focused
attention, and patience to
let what will emerge,
​emerge.
Picture
Bearded Iris planted in 2018 - - finally coming into their own. Photo by ERSwett
Purples
are beginning
to share the stage with
other colors, like these white
flowers on a lone Hawthorn tree that
is abuzz. It was for these pollinators that we
created this garden in the first place, so hearing them
in action gives me hope and purpose as I
go outside to get back
​to work.
Picture
Pollinators in action on the Hawthorn tree. Photo by ERSwett
0 Comments

Some Things Must Stay Home

10/27/2019

0 Comments

 
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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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

Creativity & Climate Action

1/29/2019

0 Comments

 
Picture
Elias Sime, Detail, Tightrope: Infatuation, 2015 at The Hood Museum of Art, Hanover, NH
The re-imagined Hood Museum of Art re-opened
​last weekend at Dartmouth College.
​Among the treasures, I saw
this work by Elias Sime.
Undulating. Pulsing. In motion. 
Alive. And yet it's made out of castoff
motherboards, toxic contributors to multitudes of e-waste.
Picture
Elias Sime, Detail, Tightrope: Infatuation, 2015 at The Hood Museum of Art, Hanover, NH
And yet the city he envisions is "a sprawling ecosystem
of form and water." It's a huge work, covering a
wall. Is it a tile mosaic? Is it marble?
No. It's a captivating vision of
what's possible when we see beyond
what appears toxic and allow  beauty to emerge. Bliss.

Picture
El Anatsui, Hover, 2003 at The Hood Museum of Art, Hanover, NH
And then, on another wall, in the same gallery, this.
El Anatsui's "shimmering tapestry" evoking
material flowing in a breeze, but no,
it's a carefully constructed compilation of
bottle tops and copper wire. Garbage comes to life. 
Picture
El Anatsui, Detail, Hover, 2003 at The Hood Museum of Art, Hanover, NH
So when I got home with this week's buckets full  of
compost from Umpleby's Bakery & Cafe,
I was startled when I saw this.
Lemons. Lots of lemons.  
I hadn't planned
on taking any photographs, but who could resist the vibrancy?
Picture
Compost lemons from Umpleby's Bakery & Cafe, Hanover, NH
That's how it is for me. Apparent waste evokes joy. There
is possibility. I wonder if that's what Elias Sime
or El Anatsui were thinking? Or not.
It's just what happens when creativity and
climate action converge at the compost pile or anywhere.

Picture
What have you seen or experienced this week
that evokes joy or invites creativity? Let
it happen, when and wherever
it may. It's magical and life-giving and for
me, makes the world a much more interesting place.

Happy January my friends.

​
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    Evelyn R. Swett
    reframing the narrative in community and with myself, finding transformation and joy in the mess of it all
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    compost re-imagined
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