Anyone who has ever viewed the undersea world of the Caribbean Sea through a snorkel or dive mask will know that John Soward has captured all the amazing colors of saltwater life in his work to share with the landlubbers among us.  Now you can get your feet wet in the island-inspired art here at the Firehouse June 9 – August 1 when the watercolors of John Soward will be on display in the Gallery. 

To those of you who have never been so lucky to even stick your big toe into the clarity of the Caribbean Sea, imagine a rainbow emptying its many hues beneath the surface of the ocean, spilling those prism-colors into the fish swimming below.  To the uninitiated, John’s work might seem to take excesses with the proverbial artistic license, but it is to John’s credit that he has been so successful at traversing the border that lays between the art world and the research world that what the Florida Museum of Natural History wants in its collection for the purpose of cataloguing the indigenous life of the Sunshine State’s coastal waters, we all want to hang on the walls of our houses. 

Although Soward has been quoted as saying he never tried to “slavishly replicate every detail on the fish…”but to “capture the essence;” his work is so accurate that it is in fact both in the Florida Museum of Natural History and appears on their website and serves as a reference for fishermen.  Soward’s water colors are beautiful and the fish appear to swim across the paper.  One can’t help but feel mesmerized by the detailing of the scales and the sheen and subtle color changes along the body of the fish.  The metallic quality of a swimming fish is present in these images, and the luminosity displayed by the coloring on a yellow-fin grouper will astound even the non-sporting among viewers.

Fish paintings make up the greater portion of this exhibit, but John Soward also has created watercolors of birds -- his summer residence in Newburyport, MA is a noted stop along the way of many migration routes and the surrounding marshes afford a perfect environment from which to catch glimpses into the avian world.

This exhibit has been planned for several months, but the original concept was to stage a joint exhibition with John and his son, John Soward (John Soward Wildlife Glass), an artist who creates blown glass fish.  On May 15th John Soward, the elder, passed away after a six-month battle with cancer. Subsequently the decision was made to honor John, his work and his passion for all things fish with a solo exhibition.   In an ironic twist of fate John Soward’s recent passing from this world has coincided with one of the worst oil spills in history.  As the estimated 12-19,000 barrels of oil a day continue to gush into the waters of the Gulf of Mexico, the total effect on the wildlife there and in the surrounding waters cannot be known.   The risk is always that one or more species of aquatic life could be lost forever except for what remains as seen in paintings, films, and photos.  Like Alexander Wilson and  John James Audubon before him, Soward has documented the world around us and done it in such a way that we will want to look at it for a long, long time…keeping the memory of John Soward, friend, neighbor and local art hero,  alive in our hearts.

Note:  John’s friend and neighbor Everett Chandler has established an account in the name of The John Soward Memorial Fund 2010 at the Newburyport Five Cents Savings Bank to hold funds that are being collected to procure a piece of art to be displayed adjacent to the Clipper City Rail Trail behind John’s old house.  You can read more about this at http://johnsowardmemorial.blogspot.com/   

Contributions can be made to The John Soward Memorial Fund 2010 and can be mailed to:

The John Soward Memorial Fund 2010
c/o The Newburyport Five Cents Savings Bank
63 State Street
Newburyport, MA 01950

About the Artist: John Soward a native of Chicago, grew up in Summit, NJ., received a BA(Eng) from Franklin & Marshall College and did postgraduate work at Lehigh University. After four years as an officer in the Coast Guard Reserve, he began a 33-year career in marine insurance. After retirement, he and his wife Nancy spent their time between Newburyport, MA. and their home in Spanish Wells, Bahamas.
In the Bahamas, John has made friends with some of the local fishermen. "They are consummate seamen and successful fishermen and great friends. They do go out of their way to bring in nice specimens for me to paint." From the fishermen and his own efforts, John collected fish to be photographed and then painted.
Of his paintings, John said, "It is a moment of great satisfaction when I get it right, when my efforts achieve some small degree of likeness to the fish. When painting these creatures, you become evermore aware of how and why their 'parts' all fit together - their form, design, patterns and color. I think that in the end, my exhilaration comes from not so much the painting, but from 'really' seeing and realizing the perfection of the overall design."
John's watercolors can be seen at the Princess Street Gallery, Harbour Island, Bahamas. He also contributed photographs of Bahamian fish, as well as some of his artwork, to the Florida Museum of Natural History ichthyology website.