Jen Ervin was born in Pompton Plains, New Jersey and moved to South Carolina in her formative years. Ervin holds a BA in Fine Art from Francis Marion University and an MFA in Graphic Design from Boston University. She thoughtfully works with Polaroid film in her latest series “The Arc of Summer”, and actively exhibits her Polaroids in galleries and museums across the country. Recent publications have included Time Lightbox, Don’t Take Pictures, Aint-Bad, and Feature Shoot. Ervin is a 2016 Critical Mass Finalist.
Artist Statement: “The Arc of Summer” is an on-going Polaroid project that Jen Ervin began in 2012. It aims to celebrate the ethereal world of childhood, the waxing and waning of summer and the wild desire to remain in its embrace. These images were made with Ervin’s family near their historic family cabin in rural South Carolina. Here, they weave their southern family history into the present to create their own mythology.
Artist Statement: “The Arc of Summer” is an on-going Polaroid project that Jen Ervin began in 2012. It aims to celebrate the ethereal world of childhood, the waxing and waning of summer and the wild desire to remain in its embrace. These images were made with Ervin’s family near their historic family cabin in rural South Carolina. Here, they weave their southern family history into the present to create their own mythology.
Ashley Kauschinger: You have a background in graphic design, drawing, and painting. How did you get involved in photography and what do you feel it has brought into your life and artist practice?
Jen Ervin: At a very young age, I set my intentions on becoming an artist. My initial studies of art focused on painting and drawing, but photography was always an integral part of my life and my work. My curiosity of photography grew considerably while I was studying design in grad school. I was in awe of its versatility – both as an art form and communicative tool. Ultimately, it was motherhood that gave “birth” to my photographic practice. In the presence of my young children, I found time behind the lens offered me a new way of seeing – one that intimately connected my inner world to my surroundings. I reflect on those early days now as a self-imposed, intense period of study that laid the foundation for all of my current artistic endeavors.
AK: Your series, The Arc of Summer, documents your family but is also about greater themes of childhood, memory, and mythology. How do you think about instilling this in your work?
JE: I spent my childhood exploring the rural landscape of Northern New Jersey. I lived in an area surrounded by acres of woodlands, dairy farms, and natural lakes. I was also raised Catholic – symbolism and ritual were a part of my daily routine. Memories of these experiences still enrich and inform my life. Watching my children grow up at our family cabin, on land that has been in my husband’s family for generations, triggers nostalgia for my own childhood. Through my photographs of them, I naturally weave in my own childhood memories. I read a lot of Joseph Campbell, too. For years I’ve been interested in mythology, world religions and philosophy. I work intuitively, so I can’t say that I’m actively seeking to instill anything into my pictures when I’m in the field. I do suppose, however, that all of these factors automatically seep up from my sub-conscious into my work.
JE: I spent my childhood exploring the rural landscape of Northern New Jersey. I lived in an area surrounded by acres of woodlands, dairy farms, and natural lakes. I was also raised Catholic – symbolism and ritual were a part of my daily routine. Memories of these experiences still enrich and inform my life. Watching my children grow up at our family cabin, on land that has been in my husband’s family for generations, triggers nostalgia for my own childhood. Through my photographs of them, I naturally weave in my own childhood memories. I read a lot of Joseph Campbell, too. For years I’ve been interested in mythology, world religions and philosophy. I work intuitively, so I can’t say that I’m actively seeking to instill anything into my pictures when I’m in the field. I do suppose, however, that all of these factors automatically seep up from my sub-conscious into my work.
AK: Your work has a sense of repetition in the depiction of water and floating figures. Can you talk about the importance of this choice?
JE: I purposefully repeat the floating images in my series. They're symbolic of many things: the passing of time, growth, movement, communion, etc. They also serve as simple documentation of how my girls prefer to spend their time on the river. Mostly I believe they reveal more about who I am: the solitude and sanctuary I seek, my own nostalgia of growing up in a rural landscape near dark waters, and my new found love for filmmaking. As my series progresses towards completion, I find myself contemplating the words of Andy Warhol, “Isn’t life a series of images that change as they repeat themselves?”
JE: I purposefully repeat the floating images in my series. They're symbolic of many things: the passing of time, growth, movement, communion, etc. They also serve as simple documentation of how my girls prefer to spend their time on the river. Mostly I believe they reveal more about who I am: the solitude and sanctuary I seek, my own nostalgia of growing up in a rural landscape near dark waters, and my new found love for filmmaking. As my series progresses towards completion, I find myself contemplating the words of Andy Warhol, “Isn’t life a series of images that change as they repeat themselves?”
AK: Mixed into the series are haunting landscapes that often include puddles and dirt roads. What is behind your decision to also include landscapes?
JE: The “Arc of Summer” was born out of long summer days spent with my family at our historic cabin set deep in the woods of South Carolina. While the project has evolved over the years, the tracing of time through portraiture and landscape remains a key component to the series. Our cabin was built over 70 years ago, and the property it rests upon has been in our family for over 90 years. What is remarkable about this land is that it has managed to escape modernization for centuries. I find it incredible that my children are able to walk the same woods and swim the same waters as their many relatives before them. Visually, this land generates an indescribable sense of timelessness – a strong feeling of continuity. Moments spent here invite me to be reflective in my thinking, and that seems to visually translate through my photographs, especially those involving water.
AK: What are some of your inspirations?
JE: Most of my inspirations stem from quiet observations on the … F L U I D I T Y … of life and its patterns. I’m interested in the changeability of time, water and memory, the kinetic qualities of movement, the rhythmic composition of words in a poem, and the subtle gradations of sounds unified in music or nature. The Beat of life– so to speak. All of these studies inspire me to investigate the role our senses play in the creation of art, symbolism and myth.
JE: Most of my inspirations stem from quiet observations on the … F L U I D I T Y … of life and its patterns. I’m interested in the changeability of time, water and memory, the kinetic qualities of movement, the rhythmic composition of words in a poem, and the subtle gradations of sounds unified in music or nature. The Beat of life– so to speak. All of these studies inspire me to investigate the role our senses play in the creation of art, symbolism and myth.
AK: What draws you to the direct positive process?
JE: …. so many things: their smell, size, white borders, the probability of unexpected accidents, and immediacy of process, etc.
There is a certain level and quality of intimacy I am looking for in creating my images. Polaroid provides me with one-of-a-kind imperfections that evoke a familiar and nostalgic vulnerability. They’re magical. Despite their smallness, they may hold the uncontainable and reveal the universal. I’m especially drawn to the challenge of seeking flexibility within the medium’s given parameters, and to the endless possibilities of sequential storytelling. The latter has steered me to discover a newfound interest in filmmaking.
JE: …. so many things: their smell, size, white borders, the probability of unexpected accidents, and immediacy of process, etc.
There is a certain level and quality of intimacy I am looking for in creating my images. Polaroid provides me with one-of-a-kind imperfections that evoke a familiar and nostalgic vulnerability. They’re magical. Despite their smallness, they may hold the uncontainable and reveal the universal. I’m especially drawn to the challenge of seeking flexibility within the medium’s given parameters, and to the endless possibilities of sequential storytelling. The latter has steered me to discover a newfound interest in filmmaking.
AK: You are also the co-juror of this month’s exhibition, Direct Positive. What are you drawn to when looking at other artist’s work?
JE: I’m drawn to all kinds of images, particularly ones that demonstrate unusual perspectives, innovative thinking and keen observations. The qualities of technique, presentation, and composition are definitely important, but what lures me into a specific work is usually an intangible curiosity that invites me to linger and continues to provoke questioning long after viewing it.
JE: I’m drawn to all kinds of images, particularly ones that demonstrate unusual perspectives, innovative thinking and keen observations. The qualities of technique, presentation, and composition are definitely important, but what lures me into a specific work is usually an intangible curiosity that invites me to linger and continues to provoke questioning long after viewing it.