We were able to ask Robin Ewers, an artist who participated in the project, a few questions about her involvement.
The Selection Process:
"At first, I had worked on a few other designs with a friend of mine. Neither design was selected right away, but the Cincinnati Development Fund saw one of the pigs I submitted. They liked my style and asked myself and a few other artists to come up with a design for their organization." Robin's design was selected from among her competition!
The Motivation:
"I've wanted to be involved with Artworks in some way, for quite some time. I just needed something that would fit my schedule a little better. They have teaching positions throughout the summer, which would be a dream for me to do, but I work a full tiem job, so it wasn't a fit, unfortunately. The Big Pig Gig seemed right up my alley. Besides, who wouldn't want to say that they painted a pig! Artworks brings attention to the arts, and that's my passion. If I'm going to spend my time and energy on something, I wanted it to be in an area that I could back and support 100%. Artworks is that for me."
The Inspiration:
Robin's pig is called "Over the Swine." We asked where this idea originated.
"The Cincinnati Development Fund had given me great direction as far as what they wanted to see on the pig. They wanted to see a whimsical depiction of the Italianate style buildings throughout Over the Rhine (OTR). There's a special place in my heart for OTR and the history of Cincinnati, and the new development of the neighborhood gave me so much more to work with. It's important to know where we came from and where our roots are so I wanted to show a little of that, especially in the 'river to road' transition near the bottom of the pig. Central Parkway used to be a river, and it was known as the Rhine River. Anything over that river was referred to as "Over the Rhine."
The Challenge:
"I really didn't face any challenges while painting. It was surprisingly more easy than I thought. However, getting the pig up the 40 - some stairs and into my 2nd story apartment was challenging. My only studio space is technically my dining room/livingroom, so having a six foot pig in my small one bedroom apartment for a month was a challenge in itself!"
"Over the Swine" AKA Herbert:
"The technical name for the pig is 'Over the Swine,' but I affectionately named him Herbert. I figured the pig was living with me for a while, so it was like having a roommate. I didn't want to keep referring to him as the pig; he deserved a name. Herbert sounded good for a pig!"
Other Involvement:
"I'm involved with Springboard Cincinnati and the Secret Artworks programs, but I'd like to get involved in more programs with Artworks as soon as I can. I'm always open to new things!"
Other Mediums:
"Paper and pencils will always be my first true love, but I have expanded to painting shoes, tile necklace pendants, making greeting cards and more recently, walls! I've been doing a couple of murals around the city... I just finished one in the pool area at Coney Island."
Where you can find more of Robin's art:
"My art hangs regularly at Dutch's Wine Bar on Erie Ave., in Hyde Park. I occasionally do art shows... most recently was the Mt. Adams Art Walk. I'm looking to expand to a few more places, so we'll see how that goes! As always, my artwork is on my website, www.rewersdesigns.com, etsy.com, and society6.com.
What's Next for the Pigs?
"Since most of the pigs are sponsored by a business or organization, they will either stay where they are placed or move to a more permanent location."
Thank you to Robin for letting us showcase her talent! For more information on the decorative pigs lining downtown Streets, you can visit Artworks.
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