Every piece I create tells a story from a folklore based on my childhood in west Michigan. As a child I was very isolated and due to this isolation I developed a vibrant imagination. My Grandparents were story tellers and upon hearing their stories from their own lives my imagination would run wild. I would spend hours playing in the forests imagining the woman who was buried in the tree my Grandmother told me of or the logs my Grandfather felled from ancient trees. In their home I would spend afternoons alone pouring over the Victorian photo albums of my family, pictures of pioneer cabins, farms, and funerals. I still gather much of my imagery inspiration from Victorian dress and mourning customs like those I first saw in those albums.The wildlife that I would interact with in the forests around my home also became a part of my story. From the crow calls over empty fields to the wide eyed deer silently walking past me, they all live within my lore. My Grandparents have now all passed on and my childhood was over twenty years ago but my folklore still continues. Using clay and fiber I make depictions and effigies of this folklore to be inserted into everyday life, as my stories are within me day-to-day. Clay and cloth are materials that evoke a story from most viewers because they are such a part of common households. I seek to connect with viewers upon that common level and fill them with my stories.
TJ Schwartz 