virtual pruning

Hi Folks. I'm doing a bit of virtual pruning and suspending my blogging activity on blogspot for the time being. To keep up with what I've been doing please visit

aesthetiac.com
facebook.com/aesthetiac
twitter.com/aesthetiac.com

Thanks for all the interest and support.

-Seth Orion Schwaiger

Hunger and Desire Artist Statement

From Hunger and Desire an exhibition at 107 Studios in San Antonio curated by The Lullwood Group.

"Elizabeth and I have shared studios in Texas and abroad over the last five years and while rarely collaborating on individual pieces of art there is a constant dialogue between our works - an exchange of ideas and a free flowing of concept and aesthetic. The title of the show, "Hunger and Desire" while remaining less than the focal point of either of our practices, addresses a strong intersection of both of our arts. In the paintings and sculptures on display an underlying compulsion or  yearning, something taut just beyond the clutching filters of reason can be felt. It is this internal tension that sparks a similar feeling within the viewer, a small ember of curiosity that with luck will fan into a burning interest in the narratives behind the settings, the personalities behind the characters, and the history behind the work."

-Seth Orion Schwaiger

Seth Orion Schwaiger, born 1984, spent most of his childhood in a small town in northern Wyoming. He received his BFA from The University of Wyoming studying there from 2003-07. He has also trained as a studio assistant in Cortona Italy, practicing stone carving and as a woodcraft pupil at VKV Cultural Center in Kerala, India. The artist's work has been collected in Italy, Germany, the UK, and the US with large public sculpture at the University of Wyoming in Laramie; Presbyterian Hospital, Dallas, Texas; the Broomhill Sculpture Park, Devon, UK as part of  the National Sculpture Prize Exhibition; and Ozu Cultural Centre in Rome, Italy. Mr. Schwaiger's  work has recently been exhibited in the Kunstraum Kreuzberg/Bethanien Galleries, Berlin; Sihlquai55, Zurich; and at the Affordable Art Fair in London, with solo shows at the Pentagon Gallery in Glasgow, Scotland as part of the International Festival of Visual Art as well as at the Glasgow Print Studio. Mr. Schwaiger has also shown work this year in San Antonio in the Historic Southern Music Company Building and with Blue Star Contemporary Arts Center. He is currently producing work for two additional shows with Elizabeth McDonald, the first in October at The Chalet, Glasgow and the second in December with the Ruiz-Healy Gallery in San Antonio.

Elizabeth McDonald was born (1985) and raised in Texas. She earned a BFA at the University of North Texas and an MFA at the Glasgow School of Art in Scotland. Ms. McDonald has shown work extensively in the US and in Europe and her work has been recognized by many prominent jurying bodies at home and abroad. Staking her claim in 2010 she was a finalist for five prizes, showing at the Hunting Art Prize exhibition, Houston (and again in 2012) ; also exhibiting at the Salon Art Prize, Matt Roberts Art, London;  earning second place at the Celeste Art Prize in New York; shortlisted for the John Moores Contemporary Painting Prize, Liverpool; and winning the BP Portrait's Young Artist Award at the National Portrait Gallery in London. Since then she has exhibited widely with solo shows in Cardiff, Wales and Dallas, Texas and her work has been presented in numerous publications including 500 Portraits published by the National Portrait Gallery in London and the The Catlin Guide released at the 2012 London Art Fair. In San Antonio Ms. McDonald has shown work at The Historic Southern Music Company Building,  also at Blue Star's Red Dot event, and was selected by the deputy editor of Art News Magazine, Barbara MacAdam, as one of eight artists for the San Antonio Painters exhibition also at Blue Star Contemporary Art Center. Elizabeth McDonald, while currently working on joint shows with Mr. Schwaiger at The Chalet, Glasgow, and Ruiz-Healy Gallery in San Antonio, is preparing for a solo show at Umbrella Arts Gallery in New York City's East Village next month.

Hunger & Desire, exhibition at 107 Studios, Lone Star Arts District, San Antonio, Texas

The last couple of months have been very full.

In may I organized and curated The Chalet Art Prize in Glasgow, part of the Streetland Festival this year. We had an exciting time at the show with judges Jason Mathis and Erica Eyres. An outstanding artist, Benjamin Rankin took home a healthy cash prize for "Procession" pictured below. We had a great turn out and look forward to where the prize is headed for 2013.

Back in San Antonio just before June and enjoyed supporting Blue Star, the local contemporary art center during their Red Dot exhibition. Two recent sculptures of my mine were exhibited and I'm happy to have helped the center raise funds with the sale of "My What Big Teeth You Have."

July looks like a full month as well as I prepare for a two man show with my partner Elizabeth McDonald scheduled for August 11th at 107 Studios (formerly LoneStar Studios) in the South Flores Arts District. The gallery is being reopened under the curation of Lullwood Group presenting a series of shows every second saturday of the month. These four guys will be there, and they are looking forward to meeting you if your in the area and care to swing by.

If you haven't been by aesthetiac.com lately you may not know another bit of good news from the last few months. Both Elizabeth and I are now represented by Ruiz-Healy Art for our San Antonio clients. I'm looking forward to working with Katy and Patricia at the Gallery and have been very impressed thus far with the exposure they have brought to my work and the support they have provided my practice.

It has been a great summer so far.

After a healthy amount of juggling a camera and clamp lights a batch of new work has been documented. Aesthetiac.com is now updated with ten new sculptures.


Photographing art work is an art in itself. The set up pictured above should give you some idea of the creativity needed to get the lighting just right.

Aesthetiac Studios will be open to the public for Countemporary Art Month's studio tours here in San Antonio.

Finally settling into our new U.S. based studios here at SoMuCo, the historic Southern Music Co. building on broadway in San Antonio, TX. It's high time for a bit of archiving so the week is filled with photographing the new sculptures. Here's a sneak peak.

This is 'Phonographer.'

Seth Orion Schwaiger

cast iron, spotted beach, elm

2012

Aesthetiac.com should be updated soon with additional fresh work.