People feel more disconnected from each other than ever, and unfortunately, there’s no single all-encompassing cause.
Major stressors include politics, social media and the oppressive weight of capitalism — and that’s on a good day.
Despite our collective differences, there are “tethers” that keep every person emotionally, creatively and, at times, harmoniously attached; at least that’s what Long Beach-based artist Jared Schwartz believes.
Schwartz is this month’s featured artist at Black Ring Coffee Roasters (5373 Long Beach Blvd.) and his new exhibition, “Lines Between Us,” a collection of acrylic, mixed-media and digital artwork, emerges from the inevitability of our shared humanity. — a link which unites even the most extreme opponents.
“No matter how many divisions you create, there’s still that basic humanity at the core of it, and I think that’s kind of what I want to emphasize,” Schwartz said. “Acknowledging emotional bonds between people isn’t a weakness, it’s how humanity keeps surviving. It’s how we’ve survived to this day, by keeping those tethers.”
Schwartz, who has lived in Long Beach for around two years, raves about the city’s “creative energy.” Even before moving to the 562, he had already established an artistic presence in the area. His local resume includes participating in the Micro Galleries of Long Beach, collaborating with Art Massive in Bixby Knolls and teaming up with Taco Bell Drawing Club.
Schwartz describes his creative process as a mixture of transferring his thoughts into the real world, and attempting to give visual meaning to feelings or words that either can’t be described or just don’t exist. The latter underscores why, particularly in this exhibition, gathering unique perspectives from viewers may be enlightening, as they can reveal previously undiscovered similarities in our experiences.
“It’s almost like there’s imaginary antennas between all of us and we can pick up on each other’s cues if we just find a way to communicate with it, whether it’s with our hands, or our mouths or anything,” he said.
For those unfamiliar with Schwartz’s work, “Lines Between Us” is a proper introduction to his multifaceted style, the entirety of which stems from his lifelong fascination: drawing.
“I love drawing pen to paper, I love the immediacy of that,” Schwartz explained. “I also really love color obviously, but I don’t like being messy, so it took me a long time to find what mediums just kinda fit my approach to life as well as how I like to draw.”
While the exhibition also reveals plenty of playfulness, his approach is likely best characterized by a credo on his website: “I have been drawing since I was a little kid, and I’m still drawing as a little adult.”
Schwartz’s particular interest in lines, and their abstract nature, was strongly influenced by cartoons like “Spongebob SquarePants,” “Looney Tunes” and “Scooby-Doo.” These characters’ uniquely shaped bodies proved formative in developing his skills at a young age.
“I think those things are really helpful because you can kind of memorize basic shapes that have certain meanings … a lot of that visual information and knowledge I think comes from noticing the things happening in other drawings,” he said.
Upon entering Black Ring Coffee Roasters — now through the end of August — visitors can swivel to their left and follow a line of intriguing artworks, each with a distinct blend of brightness and emotion that can be admired through quick glances or long, thoughtful studies alike.
“Lines Between Us” features a handful of mediums, such as digital and a few formerly digital, that have since been painted over with acrylic paint, Sharpie and inks. Some are entirely acrylic, others are giclée — fine art prints on archival paper — beaming with an array of texture and color.
Though the artwork on display remains static, they showcase a wide range of movement, with humanoid figures lunging, grappling and grasping as emotional signifiers. The exhibition includes pieces made over the past few years and new creations, but the 2019 piece “Pull My Finger!” is especially indicative of Schwartz’s heart-on-his-sleeve — or in this case, his canvas — mentality that emphasizes cathartic release.
“I think the overall impact of people recognizing that it’s okay to talk about one’s feelings, that it’s okay to express affection, is certainly a positive for humanity,” Schwartz said.
While there are no signs of Scooby-Doo, among the subjects on display is a fiery red stick figure topped with slicked-back blonde hair, bursting with fury and disdain. Maybe it’s an anonymous devil, or, perhaps it’s the country’s commander in chief. Whatever the source, it draws the eye and is just one element that unifies Schwartz’s art.
“There’s common themes to my artwork that I’ve noticed in the past couple years. There’s sort of a politicalness to them, there’s a political cartooning element on some level, which I think emphasizes the divisions one might feel with our current government and whatnot,” Schwartz said. “But also it’s just about relationships in general, and really even more so it’s that, in all, I do a lot of line work in my artwork, so it felt like ‘Lines Between Us’ was the perfect thing.”
Ahead of the exhibition’s opening reception, Schwartz has earnest hopes for attendees. Though he professes that viewers can feel an emotional connection to his artwork at any point of the show’s run, he believes the communal aspect of a public opening can produce unexpected avenues for growth.
“I hope they came away with new ways to express their feelings,” he said. “I hope they come away feeling like they’ve learned something, whether it’s about themselves or others, and that they experience that connection.”
“Lines Between Us” will have a free opening reception Saturday at 7 p.m. To RSVP, visit the event page on Partiful.
To learn more about Jared Schwartz, visit jaredsart.com or his Instagram (@Jareds.Art.Official). Schwartz’s art can be purchased as stickers at Page Against the Machine (2714 E. Fourth St.) and TAVi Art Gallery (5229 Second St.), where there are also shirts featuring his work.
