EDWIN SCHWARTZ

Edwin Schwartz was born on January 28, 1921, in New York City.  He was father to Eric Schwartz, a longtime resident of Fairfield, Iowa and a trustee of MIU. Edwin worked as an architect at his father’s firm in NYC, Accurate Construction, which he ran for many years. His love of nature and art were inextricably linked to his professional and personal life, and his prolific output as an artist reveals his dedication to the medium of watercolor. Schwartz was a member of the American Watercolor Society and maintained a sense of humor and humility in his artistic endeavors throughout his long career.  

During his college years, he received his only formal training in art— taking drafting and drawing classes as part of the requirements for his degree. He joked that his secret for graduating was that whenever he designed a building that did not have an ideal look to it, he would add one or more trees to hide the flaws.  

He loved trees and nature.  Most of his 500 watercolors were landscapes, though later works sometimes included dilapidated structures or figures. He favored simple everyday life scenes, often with “imperfections”— dead trees, broken down barns, walls with peeling paint. He usually painted in the afternoons when the light created great shadows, and he liked skies with dark clouds and unusual colors. Skies are an important component in many of his works, occupying half of the compositions. He started with a wet surface which allowed the color to move and create powerful, unpredictable images. 

In the 1950s and 1960s, his easel and paints would always travel with him on vacations.  His son Eric recalls one vacation in the mid 60s when he set up in a dry gulch in Arizona for the afternoon, while he and his brother Carl played for a few hours.  They returned several hours later to find that he’d made 3 paintings.  

Edwin’s life revolved around art. He painted watercolors for over 70 years, his last one completed 2 weeks before he passed at age 93.  Upon his death, another painting sat on his easel partly done. 

SPECIAL THANKS

Thank you to Eric Schwartz for contributing Edwin Schwartz’ bio and for the opportunity to share his father’s work with our community. Thanks also to Kara Anastasio for her support.