ARTIST
Nicholas Baker Swearer, a “hands-on” sculptor, works primarily with cast and fabricated metals in his studio/foundry located in Northeastern Connecticut. His metal work takes on a broad range of expressions, from fantastical to social narrations using human or animal characters. ... more
CATRINA
Nicholas Swearer encountered the Catrina image on his many trips to Mexico and was intrigued with its association of the enjoyment of life in the face of the inevitability of death. ... more
HUMANS
Nicholas Swearer's human narrative installations are a social didactic - raising questions and searching for answers. While the installations are a record of our time, they are also an observation on the universal human condition, seemingly unchanged throughout time and ever repeating.
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The "Rat Race" is an animalized visual representation of the human race, of individuals participating in the relentless struggle to succeed, or perhaps just to survive at any cost! The race is a direct off shoot of Nicholas Swearer’s investigation of the human condition; a study of how we interact as a result of our individual personas. ... more
"The Stags" powerfully display their challenge to protect their territory. With striking of their bodies imminent a psychological tension is created. ... more
BIG BROTHER
"Big Brother" represents an aspect of Nicholas Swearer's interest in human interaction and contemporary social issues; for example, rapid dehumanization and loss of individual identity.
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While the "Arbor" is abstract in nature it was created with symbolic meaning in mind. The two plants that join to form the arch represent two families. The roots and large vines represent the family elders which then split into the offspring. ... more
"Iggy" is a 40 foot long iguana made of 12,500 railroad spike-heads and over 35,000 welds. Nicholas Swearer began the sculpture in 1971, at the age of 15, and took four years to complete it. ... more
"Liz," a whimsical fantasy dragon, was commissioned by the daughters of Max and Rebecca Gralnek in honor of their 50th wedding anniversary. She was presented to the public library of Newton, Iowa in remembrance of the special times the family spent at the library ... more
It has been suggested that Nicholas Swearer's humans should fall under the category of "Beasts." He agrees that humans can behave far more beastly than any other creature, but thinks that it would be unfair to the animals to group them as such. He does, however, humanize his animals, as many of us do with our dogs and cats. ... more