Kerry Schuss Gallery

Press Release

Clarence Swinyer: Lake George brings together a spirited selection of Clarence J. Swinyer’s sculptures and paintings, works that depict the landscapes, flora, and fauna of his rural mountainous surroundings.

Born 1893, Swinyer resided in the Adirondacks for his entire life until his death in 1978. After retiring around 1950 from his job at a paper mill in Fort Ticonderoga on Lake George, Swinyer began to fashion sculptures of animals local to the area. Carefully constructed from wood and paint, the menagerie of turkeys, lynx, deer, and other animals indigenous to the region was displayed in the yard around his house. He further enriched his outdoor environment by creating painted, fully-functioning whirligigs, featuring a diverse cast of characters.

This exhibition reimagines the world Swinyer so imaginatively crafted outside and inside his home, pairing these sculptures with his paintings, which mostly recall his rich memories of hunting and fishing in the region. Some of these works derive from source material such as Christmas cards—a likely inspiration for his charming Christmas, c. 1950—and from encyclopedia photographs and famous artworks, as seen in his interpretation of Washington Crossing the Delaware, c. 1950, inspired by Emanuel Leutze's 1851 painting. In addition to the distinct medium of enamel house paint on heavy paper, the paintings are also distinguished by Swinyer’s signature border of black paint.