Artists looking to capture history as dam is removed

Nov. 12—Situated on the south side of the Eel River, artists J.O. Buffington, Tim Swagerle and John Tritt use paint, pastels and more to capture the demolition of the 10th Street Dam and former LMU power plant.

"Art lasts forever," said Swagerle, who lives a county over in Chili. "We don't know what we're gonna do with (the paintings), but we got pictures of all the things that have disappeared. They're not like a photograph — they're different, you know, more abstract and (focus on) just getting the essence of the scene. We try not to be too exact."

Swagerle used pastels to capture the river with the coal conveyor stretching across it. His use of whites, browns and warmer-toned pastels contrasted with the blue canvas he chose. Buffington, who is a former art teacher at North Miami High School, had a similar scene for his watercolor piece, except he utilized splashes of green and blue to contrast a mostly earthy-toned painting.

It took the three about an hour to produce their finished products.

They said they wanted to be there to capture it because their friend, retired Manchester University professor Jerry Sweeten, has worked more than eight years on trying to improve the Eel River.

"It's seeing our friend's dream come true," Tritt, a Logansport native, said. "That's a big deal for us. We like things that are historic, and this certainly is."

Swagerle said any time a river is back to normal, "it has got to be good for it."

"(People will) enjoy the river as it is," he said. "There'll be all kinds of activities."

Swagerle said they usually travel around capturing these scenes as they happen, including the tearing down of the light plant in Peru. The group likes to travel around for these moments, according to him.

"It's the stuff that will be remembered in centuries ahead," he said. "Whereas a photograph? Maybe, but maybe not."