Sometimes after many years of frequent flyer miles you come to think that you know the route pretty well. But, when travel plans change, you may have to rethink how to get from point “A” to point “B.” Passing over the same terrain, repeatedly, doesn't always mean you get the lay of the land. Often times, much is missed.
Well, that's sort of how I feel about our knowing John Vander and Karen Swartsberg. We've been around for almost exactly the same amount of time, but without really knowing much about how we all found our way to where we are. I used to say, “I looked under the bed this morning, and there I was.” However, it’s not always a good idea to be looking under people's beds!
John Vander has been coming to Maine since he was a small child. His grandfather, an accomplished woodworker in the Boston area, was asked by a longtime summer visitor to finish off a boat he had just launched. John's grandfather liked Wall Point on Linekin Bay so much that he decided to purchase a small property there which he could visit. John spent summers here. With few young people his age available, John got to know local royalty – the Pinkhams, Tibbettses, Andrews, Trasks and others many years his senior. For John, this was his Maine experience. He cherished the time he spent with his grandfather and area elders, who weren't so elder then. We're talking 70 years ago.
John's folks would come to Maine, too, on weekends during the summer, eventually purchasing land here as well, up on Pension Ridge.
Karen's approach to landing here was a bit more adventuresome. Her first work in Maine was at Toofulios, the famous Sugarloaf hangout. McSeagulls was her summer commute as many worked the ski areas in winter and the coast in summer. Although Karen had no formal jewelry-making training she did study art here and there. Her father, a highly recruited clothier, traveled as his management skills moved the family about. Karen studied some art during her stay in Cincinnati, then when the family moved to New York City she spent some time at Cooper Union and FIT (Fashion Institute of Technology), but didn't finish degree work at either.
Goobies and Gold Smith Gallery have been everywhere in the Harbor. Once Karen decided to make this home she needed space for a gallery and workspace. As many will recall, her locations moved quite a bit within the community. I remember locations at what is now the library bookstore, down on Commercial Street at what was Gilchrist East, the old P & P Pastry shop, and originally at what is now Mung Bean. Bessie Kenniston and Polly Veitz were helpful contributors to Karen's searches. Now the gallery is at 8 McKown St., next door to one of her previous locations which houses Karen's creative jewelry and John's art.
John Vander was not a college-educated creation either. He studied art with some serious big shots in New York City. T. Lux Feininger, German born and Bauhaus student, held great influence for John as he developed his work. Feininger studied painting with Paul Klee and Wassily Kandinsky among others. Feininger lived to the age of 101 in Cambridge Massachusetts.
John and Karen lived at their Mt. Pisgah home for many years, which, interestingly, was quite the artist colony back in the day. Karen did not have a gallery there, I don't think. For the most part, John and Karen have established a life here but still move around a bit. They spend the off season in Italy where John paints more frequently and Karen chills. They run the shop here in the Harbor together and are very pleased with the location. The Gallery will close in a couple weeks so if you have a chance, please stop by, before they move again!