Eden Swain’s eyes sparkled as she cradled a ceramic dish in her hands.
The piece was glazed in luminous color, showing a swirl of red, orange, yellow and purple sunset over a deep blue ocean.
It’s one of many creative projects the 17-year-old senior at North Salem High School has taken on over the course of her education.
“If a day goes by and I don’t create something, the day is wasted, almost,” she said. “The more that I create the more I’m inspired to create.”
Swain started taking ceramics classes this year, seeking a more hands-on creative endeavor after years playing cello, trumpet and singing in multiple music ensembles.
“I did get music-ed out, like it was a little too much,” she said, laughing. Ceramics “is a different creative energy, and this semester, I balanced it …I’m doing stuff with my hands.”
Teacher Cura Hartnett quickly fast-tracked her to an advanced class after seeing her skill shaping and glazing clay.
“I instantly saw her paint talents,” Hartnett said. “Painting on canvas is different than painting on ceramic. Painting with glaze, you have to understand the color differences and how it’s going to interact with the kiln and she just got it. It was really amazing to watch her explore and experiment.”
Swain has played cello since fourth grade and started trumpet in middle school. During her time at North, she’s been part of chamber orchestra, marching band, jazz band, pep band, wind ensemble and choir.
“I really do like the timbre of the cello,” Swain said. “It’s really close to the human voice … I feel like I can sing.”
She picks up new art forms quickly, insisting in an interview she only just learned to sew before casually mentioning she made her own prom dress.
Even her athletic endeavors involve artistry. Swain dances in Salem Aerial Dance Company‘s performing troupe, blending strength and flexibility to perform suspended on silks in the air.
Hartnett said Swain’s contributions in class go beyond her creative output.
“She’s just a hard worker. She cares about her fellow students. She would walk around to help out students that she saw needed help, help me around the classroom. So not only making beautiful work, but also making sure everyone around her was kind of influenced as well,” Hartnett said.
Swain will attend the University of Oregon in the fall and plans to study interior architecture.
The idea came when she attended a portfolio review where professionals at the Pacific Northwest College of Art in Portland reviewed her work.
“I didn’t even know what that major was. And then after they prompted me, I kind of researched it. And I was like, yeah, interior architecture aligns with what I want to do,” she said.
Nature features prominently in much of Swain’s artwork. She said her ceramic pieces were inspired by a lifetime of backpacking and hiking with her family.
“We live in a world that is a little bit disconnected from nature. And I want to feel more connected to nature so I like appreciating it,” she said. “It might seem small, but even there’s just a bed of flowers on the side of the road or something like that. I like noticing those small moments in the urban environment especially. Because I care about the Earth and nature and I find it fascinating, beautiful.”
Correction: This story originally misspelled ceramics teacher Cura Hartnett’s name. It is Cura, not Cara. Salem Reporter apologizes for the error.
Contact reporter Rachel Alexander: [email protected] or 503-575-1241.
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Rachel Alexander is Salem Reporter’s managing editor. She joined Salem Reporter when it was founded in 2018 and covers city news, education, nonprofits and a little bit of everything else. She’s been a journalist in Oregon and Washington for a decade. Outside of work, she’s a skater and board member with Salem’s Cherry City Roller Derby and can often be found with her nose buried in a book.
