Artist Resume

James Bruce Schwabach Email schwabajb@yahoo.com schwabajb@herkimer.edu
45 South 4th Avenue Cell 315-868-0369
Ilion, NY 13357

Here is a link to my older paintings, a bio, etc.

http://fs.hccc.suny.edu/~schwabajb/Bio.html

JB Schwabach

Associate Professor of Fine Arts
Herkimer County Community College
Herkimer, NY 13350
1978-Present

AFA Silvermine College of Art
BFA SUNY College at New Paltz
MFA Penn State University

Shows and Awards

2011 Arkel Museum Juried Exhibit, Canajoharie, NY
2010 Cherry Branch Gallery, Cherry Valley, NY
2010 Arkel Museum Juried Exhibit
2009 Cogar Gallery, Herkimer County Community College, One Man show
2009 Cooperstown National Juried Exhibit, Cooperstown, NY
2009 Cooperstown Regional Juried Exhibit
2008 Smithy Gallery, “Painters of Central New York”, Cooperstown
2007 Cooperstown Artists Association, “Art on the Lawn” Exhibit
2006 National Juried Pastel Exhibition, Old Forge Art Center, Old Forge, NY
2005 Cogar Gallery, Herkimer County Community College, One Man Show
2005 Saranec Lake Arts Center Juried Exhibit, Saranec Lake, NY
2000 Old forge Art Center, One Man Show
1999 Jewish Community Center Gallery, Utica, NY One Man Show
1998 Cooperstown Artists Association, Juried Pastel Exhibit
1997 St. Johns University, Queens, NY Nationally Juried Spiritual Art Exhibit
1997 Central NY Art Council Exhibit, Utica, NY Two Man Show
1997 Old Forge Art Center Regional Exhibit, Painting Prize
1996 Cogar Gallery, Herkimer County Community College, Faculty Exhibit
1996 Old Forge Art Center Juried Pastel Exhibit
1995 Silvermine Gallery of Art,New Canaan,Conn. New England Juried Exhibit
1995 Cooperstown National Juried Exhibit
1995 Kirkland Art Association, Clinton, NY Juried Exhibit
1994 Cazenovia College Gallery of Art, Cazenovia, NY Juried Exhibit
1993 Visions Gallery of Art,Albany, NY National Juried Spiritual Art Exhibit
1992 Central New York Artists Council, Two Man Show
1992 SUNY College of Technology, Utica, NY Regional Juried Exhibit
1989 Old Forge Art Center, National Watercolor Show
1988 Wantagh Jewish Center Temple, Finalist Holocaust Memorial Project
1987 Washington, DC National Juried Spiritual Art Exhibit
1986 Dallas, Texas National Juried Spiritual Art Exhibit
1985 New York, NY National Juried Spiritual Art Exhibit
1985 Painting Chosen for Cover of Text of Spiritual Art, Prentice Hall Publisher
1982 Neuberger Museum of Art, SUNY Purchase, NY Texaco Corporate Painting Prize
1981 Barrett Gallery, Utica College of Syracuse University One Man Show
1979 M.W.P.Institute, Utica, NY “Artists of Central New York Juried Show
1979 Silvermine Gallery of Art, New Canaan , Conn. Painting Prize
1977 Hetzel Union Art Gallery, Penn State University One Man show
1976 Corcoran Gallery of art, Washington, DC Juried Group Drawing Show

Artist Statement

James Bruce Schwabach Artist Statement 2011


The photographs exhibited here are from a series of trips made to Yosemite National Park in California. I was awarded a sabbatical leave to visit the park, and to work through the Ansel Adams Gallery in Yosemite.

Native American history is rich in Yosemite, and many of the key landmarks have Native American names.

The Yosemite People called Yosemite Ahwahnee or “mouth,” because the valley
walls resembled a gaping bear’s mouth.

One of the oldest places to stay in the valley is the Ahwahnee Hotel.The site for The Ahwahnee, once a village of the native Miwoks, was chosen because of its exposure to the sun and stunning views of Yosemite's icons – Half Dome, Yosemite Falls and Glacier Point.

The Yosemite people called themselves as Ah-wah-ne-chee, or “dwellers of Ahwahnee.”

Hiking in the back country I visited many of the sites made famous by the photographs of Ansel Adams, and revered as spiritual by the Miwok tribe.

Tenaya Lake was named for the powerful Chief Tenaya of the Miwoks. When asked, Chief Tenaya, tried to explain the meaning of “Ahwahnee” by using sign language, using the motion of his hands, indicated depth, while trying to illustrate the name.

I made numerous trips in different seasons, to create a portfolio of the beauty that is Yosemite. Here I captured Half Dome, El Capitan, the Mariposa Grove of giant trees; and various images that capture the grandeur that is Yosemite.

Yosemite is a sanctuary for wildlife, and I was lucky to capture iconic images of Coyotes, and Deer.

These photographs may give the viewer an idea of how majestic these lands must have been to the early inhabitants, and to see in them a large spirit.

It is the calling of the artist to help us more clearly see these spirits in this once beautiful home of the Miwoks.

Half Dome Sunset with Mystical Tree

This image is one of my favorite images of Yosemite, probably because it was so difficult to make. I had been hiking in the back country looking for interesting trees known to be in the area.

There were many to be found, including this unique tree clearly shaped by time, and weather. But the light was waning, and I had not yet found the perfect combination of foreground, and background.

Sometimes skill isn't enough, you have to get a little lucky. I used a fill flash to lighten up the tree, and took this as the last few minutes of light struck Half Dome with color in the background.

This is one of the most beautiful scenes that I have been blessed with capturing, a perfect mix of great subject, and great light.

Half Dome_Winter Sunrise

This view of Half Dome is from a meadow near Yosemite Village at sunrise. The tree in the left foreground was often photographed by Ansel Adams.

Yosemite Falls Rainbow

Yosemite Falls is the highest measured waterfall in North America, measuring at 2,425 ft. It is gthe sixth highest waterfall in the world.

This winter photo shows the rainbow created in winter, half frozen water revealing the spectrum of colors on lower Yosemite Falls.

Wawona Hotel

The Wawona Hotel was established around the time of the Civil war, beginning as Clarks station, later called Big Tree Station.

Wawona was originally called Pallahchun ( meaning a good place to stop ) by early tribes. Presidents have stayed here, and it has been a Yosemite landmark since the 19th Century.

Near Wawona is the famous Mariposa Groves of great Sequoias, including some of the largest trees in Yosemite Valley

Alpenglow on El Capitan

Alpenglow is a term often used to describe the last light falling on many of the natural landmarks seen in Yosemite Valley.

After the sun sets, and the light fades, a phenomenon takes place, in what many photographers call the "magic hour".

The granite monoliths of El Capitan, and Half Dome intensify their color, and seem to actually give off their own colorful light. Imagine hundreds of years ago when explorers first entered these glorious places.

The experience must have transformed them.

El Capitan in Winter

Here is another image of the cliff, in subdued light, with the graphic branches of a great Pine in the foreground.

El Capitan_Sunrise

El Capitan is the largest exposed granite monolith in the world. The dramatic glaciers of the last Ice Age sculpted Yosemite Valley into some of the most dramatic vistas found in America.

No two days are seen exactly the same on El Capitan. Unforseen patches of fog, or light, or color, all play a part in creating a photograph of special qualities.

This image was created early on a winter morning, after snowshoeing to a spot where the light would fall on the great cliff, creating a site of unique beauty.

Native Deer_Yosemite

I was near Yosemite Falls when a herd of young deer came near. I stalked them for hours, trying to capture just the right moment when their movement,background; and the light all came together.

These deer remind me of the first paintings by man created in the caves of Lescaux in France.

There are times in the valley, when one can imagine life as our Native Americans might have seen many years ago.

Yosemite National Park is a protected wilderness, and is abundant with wildlife. If the situation is right, you can get surprisingly close to animals normally shy of interaction with man.

This Coyote came very close, I was lucky to be ready with my camera when this beautiful animal crossed my path.

Often, a more abstract image may say something profound about a place. An example is this image of the running water of the Tuolumne River, which was shaped by glaciers in the last Ice Age.

The river flows 150 miles through the Sierras, and is one of the dominent sites in Yosemite Valley. The Tuolumne, and the Merced Rivers provide Yosemite with water, and beauty.

The light, and color seen here in late afternoon, create a poetry that is often lost in pictures of more "famous" landmarks in the valley.

Yosemite Valley in Winter

There are so many seasonal changes in Yosemite Valley, Winter being especially beautiful. Some of my most beautiful pictures were taken in the winter cold, worth the hikes early in the morning, or late in last light.

Half Dome is everpresent everywhere in the valley, seen in endless varieties of light and color.

Yosemite Pines

This is just one of the many images of great trees within Yosemite National Park. Fires are a natural part of the life in the Sierras, as seen in the three burned trees on the right.