| Seven-member Sweere family opens art exhibit at Paradise |
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Posted: Thursday, June 12, 2008 12:46 am
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| FARIBAULT — Seven artists in one show. What could be a formula for chaos works very nicely at the Paradise Center for the arts because these seven artists are all family, the Sweere family from Owatonna.
Parents Mary and Joseph, and their five boys Jon, Ryan, Craig, Mike and Steven, have been creating and showing their art for decades and the experience and expertise shows. There show currently hangs in the gallery at the Paradise Center for the Arts, 321 Central Ave.
It all began when the kids were little, Mary Sweere said.
“It was a way to keep the kids busy and give me some time to myself,” she said.
She began experimenting with clay and has several pieces in the show. She creates them out of white Sculpey clay and paints them. Whimsical and detailed, Mary’s work reflects her own spirit of adventure and joy.
Dad Joseph’s work is a remarkable mixture of painting and cut glass mosaic. Van Gogh’s self portrait is the basis of a collage of mirror and painting that is at once humor and startling in its skill. It’s a bit like what one might imagine Van Gogh would look like if he were hitting the clubs in San Francisco on a busy Saturday night.
Brothers Jon and Ryan Sweere share a home in St. Paul where Jon supports himself by selling his ceramic clocks and framing artwork.
“I love framing because I get involved with other people’s art,” Jon said. “And I make money whether the artist sells his work or not.”
Jon’s work also includes skillful oil paintings of flowers. Of course, in true Sweere style, they are not “just” oil paintings, but are encased in epoxy, making them truly unique and worth a closer look.
Sporting one of Jon’s frames is Ryan’s work: a mosaic of bottle caps that is at once beautiful and fascinating. From a distance, you can’t tell the medium; you just see the colors and patterns. Upon closer inspection, you see the various brands and styles.
It is not just the beer industry that has contributed to the Sweere’s artwork. Mike Sweere, formerly a successful graphic designer and art director for BBDO and Campbell Mithun, has created amazing pieces of collage from cutting and re-assembling cereal boxes. Again, it’s not immediately obvious what these vibrant pictures are made from, but the viewer can see that they warrant a much closer inspection.
“I knew I was going to be an artist from an early age. It’s my natural talent,” Mike said. “I did commercial art for 18 years before breaking away to do my own art.”
Craig Sweere is the only member of this artist show who is not currently living in the area. He resides in California with his family, but his brothers, wanting to include Craig in this family show, have hung several of his paintings, as well as a painting done by his son Eliot, 13.
Steve recently had a baby, which is a wonderful distraction from his creation of art furniture and steel furniture.
Spending time with family is a theme for these creative artists, and the brothers see each other or talk on the phone at least once a week. The family lives and works with their artwork, having studios in their homes and decorating even their yards with art. Jon and Ryan have a 22 foot sculpture of a windmill in their backyard. “We’ve managed to have our studio in our homes and live with our art,” Jon says. “We wouldn’t have it any other way.”
— Story provided by the Paradise Center for the Arts, 332-7372.
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