Artists are known for their powers of creation, but one little-considered element is their manifestation of a career path. Aside from technical training and aesthetic theory, there is sparse school guidance in the way of breaking into the art business and keeping afloat. And it's one of the most innately competitive fields you can go into: though art work is valued and desired by many, it is hardly at the top of the list of vital services. So, working hard to achieve a level of talent is only half the battle. Artists must also struggle to find and compete for venues where their work can be shared.

In the following debut piece on emerging artists in Rochester, four locally based creators who work in different media provide insight on their origins, their work, and how they keep art in the forefront of their lives while they make, and live, their plans.

In researching this piece, some common advice among emerging artists surfaced: you have to be ambitious, chase or even invent opportunities, and be willing to self-advocate. You must banish the shy impulse and focus on your artistic drive. You must stay connected to art at all times, and choose jobs in the periphery of art fields when forced to work outside of the studio. Many emerging artists are also concerned with the value of more education versus more street-smart hustle, and find that moving to a new city is often necessary in order to seek out opportunities in more creatively promising communities. The question in many artists' minds: is Rochester one of them?

Ceramics: Peter Pincus

"I have always had an obsessive personality," says ceramicist Peter Pincus, who recently became the manager of the ceramics studio at Genesee Center for the Arts and Education. "When I believe in the potential of something I will chase it." Pincus has been making pottery since he was a junior at Pittsford Sutherland High School, and supplemented the school's lack of resources by taking community ceramics classes from Carol Bell at Genesee Pottery at the Genesee Center. Pincus received both his BFA (in 2005) and MFA (in 2011) from Alfred University, but in the year between earning those degrees, squeezed in a residency at the Mendocino Art Center in California and a summer of working on Wayne Higby's "Earth Cloud" installation at Alfred University, managed the Turk Hill Craft School in Fairport, and worked in his own studio to develop a mature portfolio for graduate school.

"In the beginning I wanted to make something that I had never found in a store," says Pincus of his focus on ceramics. "At the time I did not think I was pursuing anything, and I was actually embarrassed by it because it didn't seem as cool as what my friends were doing." But the artist tried not to question his urge to create and later, "making became a political mission to change the general perception of wheel-thrown clay, which is often seen as ‘crafty,'" he says.

Pincus's works are vessels of structured grace; the diversely shaped containers range from perfect bottles with colorful strands and bands to crumpled hourglass forms. "I make extravagant ceramic containers in response to aristocratic objects past and present," he says. "Ceramics has a wonderful history with the aristocratic vessel. It used to be the object of personal luxury," he says, but argues that for the rich, the art form has been replaced by high-tech, mass-produced gadgetry. "I see a purpose in redirecting people's attention to fine ceramic containers," he says.

In addition to continuing to develop his own work and serving as the manager of the ceramics studio at the Genesee Center, Pincus is an adjunct professor of ceramics at Roberts Wesleyan College, provides demonstrational workshops at visiting artist venues throughout the country, and applies for as many show opportunities as possible. "My schedule is hectic," he says, "which is actually helpful because it forces me to be organized and focused during the day. I refuse to let my work in the studio slip out of the schedule, so I will often trade sleep for work time." The artist also built a basement studio in his house and treats it as if it were his living room.

Pincus counts Genesee Pottery, Studio Sales Pottery, Turk Hill Craft School, Crocus Clay Works, and Coach Street Clay among the local venues where ceramicists and novices alike may work "in a positive environment with competent teachers. There is a supportive community here," he says, but adds that Rochester falls short with regards to "communication between academic institutions where students who are about to move forward can gain a larger network. RIT, Nazareth, Roberts Wesleyan and Alfred University have different students, different viewpoints, and show different visiting artists' work," Pincus says. "The students need to experience it all; the experience will make them more complete."

The artist also sees an imbalance in our appreciation for art versus other consumables: "Rochester's general population has a stronger appreciation for fine food, fine drink, and performance arts than they do visual arts," Pincus says. "Folks pack the streets for the Rochester International Jazz Festival because they want to see, hear, and experience local and international culture," he says, while art receptions often see far fewer viewers. "It is my goal in the next 10 years to figure out why this is so," he says.

You can check out Pincus' work at Mostly Clay in Pittsford, and soon, on his website at peterpincus.com.

Printmaking: Heather Swenson

Printmaker and painter Heather Swenson will enter her senior year at Purchase College this fall, but has already been getting attention around Rochester for her woodcuts. Swenson received second place in the painting-drawing-graphics category at the 2011 Corn Hill Arts Festival, and last year she was the winner of Corn Hill's 2nd Annual Emerging Artist Expo. Swenson enjoyed drawing and painting in high school, and was encouraged by her art teachers to pursue an art degree in college.

For the past couple of years, Swenson has been focusing heavily in the printmaking medium of woodcut. "I really love the process, from starting out with a drawing on the block to the physicality of the cutting and printing," the artist says in her artist statement. "I like that the process feels very sculptural but results with an image on paper. Woodcut provides a perfect connection between my interests in printmaking, drawing, and sculpture."

In her current work, Swenson depicts small objects interacting within environments she has set up for them, "sort of like microcosms," she says. "Most of the things I use in these set-ups are my own sculptures, childhood trinkets, found items, or gifts that people have given to or made for me." Swenson enjoys playing with the scale of these set-ups, and "trying to create confusion over the size of them and how they relate to the viewer," she says. "I enjoy the tactile nature of arranging objects into familiar and intimate interactions." She describes the works' resultant mood as "intimate but sort of sad at the same time."

Swenson has been involved with ARTISANworks for nearly five years during breaks from school, working the front desk and aiding with events. She likes what Rochester Contemporary Art Center offers to the city and feels that our city could use more spaces like it. Participating in festivals, including Corn Hill, has been a positive experience for her, in that it affords the young artist the opportunity to meet and discuss her work with other artists and viewers.

During the less-structured days of summer, Swenson finds it more difficult to make work. "I often get restless or stressed out, which creates concerns for how I will continue to want to make art once I'm out of a school setting. But I've recently started painting more, after working with an artist in Brooklyn for a few days," she says. "It's nice to feel excited and motivated about that right now."

Swenson's game plan flirts with graduate school after she's worked for a year or two, possibly as an intern at an arts organization or with children, while making her own work and participating in shows. Within five years, Swenson would like to have her own studio, perhaps in the New York City area, painting and making woodcuts, but also pursuing her interests in sculpture and photography as well. "I know I always want to be involved in many disciplines," she says. Viewers can peek at Swenson's woodcuts and drawings at heatherswenson.com, which will soon feature more recent work from this past year.

Photography: Jennifer Fleet

"For me being an artist is not a choice, it is fundamentally who I am," begins the artist's statement of fine-art photographer Jennifer Fleet. Though she always knew she wanted to attend art school, and was accepted into Maryland Institute of Art and School of Visual Art in New York back in 1994, lack of funds caused her to give up her dream - though she still practiced her art. Fleet's mother died unexpectedly in 2003, and "this traumatic event reminded me that life goes by in a heartbeat and can end anytime." With new motivation, Fleet went back to school at the age of 35 and graduated with honors in 2010 with a BFA in photography.

But newly ordained art grads still have bills to pay. Before her move to Rochester just more than a month ago, Fleet worked for one of the gift shops of the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C. "I felt stuck and unhappy and needed to do something major, make a big change," she says. Fleet researched cities where it is easier to live and work as an artist - in other words, places with a relatively low cost of living and a thriving arts community. She now lives within a 10-block radius of museums, galleries, studios, art schools, and libraries with wonderful photography books, and enjoys the monthly First Friday gallery walks and the various festivals Rochester has to offer.

"What I love most about photography is that it gives you the ability to freeze time, create and record a moment that cannot be duplicated," says Fleet. "It is the nature of time to be constantly moving and evolving so that every second is different from the previous second. Photographers are like magicians when they capture a fleeting moment, expression or gesture."

Fleet enjoys creating "moments in realities that are alternatives to our own," she says. She is fascinated by the idea that we are the creators of our own lives and realities, and tries to capture this feeling of creation in her work. Fleet's work essentially divides into two distinct categories of dreamy surrealist narratives and hyper-real food photography. Her "In Dreams Revealed" and "Imaginings" series features mythic (often self-) portraits inspired by the question of how imagination works and where these images originate. Her food photos are unbelievably luscious and seriously showcase the forms and colors of consumables.

Fleet is still adjusting to life in Rochester, and is looking for a job, possibly freelance work in food photography, she says. In the meantime she's honing her craft. "Every day I work on a piece of art, even if it's something simple," Fleet says. Fleet keeps several projects going at once, branching out into jewelry, collage, paintings, and drawings, and she plans to add installation pieces and create short films.

To keep art in the forefront of her life, Fleet sends work out to galleries in pursuit of representation, and maintains a website where she presents and sells her work at jenniferfleetphotography.net. In the near future, Fleet would like to earn a master's of fine arts degree in photography and shift toward earning income solely from her artwork.

Metalsmithing: Marisa Krol

The dabbling, wandering life of metalsmith Marisa Krol has recently become slightly more focused. The young jewelry artist originally attended school in pursuit of a sociology degree, studied painting and portraiture, traveled to the southern states and to Bolivia, and now works at Anderson Alley with veteran adornment artist Sharon Jeter. "Creation of tangible, visual art has always been with me," says Krol. "Creating brings me a sense of peace, stillness, and joy. It's for these reasons I continue the pursuit."

For Krol, art is largely about connecting with others. "How I live my life is my artist statement," she says. "I'm concerned with the dissonance between people of the world today, and I am interested in lessening that gap by initiating conversation." She likens her craft to these dialogues, stating that she works at "conversing" with metal, which "often involves surrender," she says.

"Metal is my greatest teacher. The reward is one of the finest pleasures of my life, seeing a piece find its person, and the story that often surrounds their attraction," she says.

Krol's works are delicate bits of nature-inspired forms soldered together into clusters with a zen-like focus on simplicity and balance or asymmetry. The slices of clouds, cross-sections of hives, and little linked hoops and leaves fit wearers who prefer sophisticatedly simple and beautifully crafted elegance.

Krol says that Rochester is a perfect-sized city, and that individuals, artistic and otherwise, can have a real impact here. "As an artist, there are ample opportunities to show work and a supportive community of art appreciation." There are also artists willing to work with one another and show others the ropes. In the summer of 2009, Krol participated in an "art garage sale" with friends during the Park Ave Summer Art Festival, and met Jeter, a fine silversmith who later agreed to take Krol on as an apprentice.

Besides continuing to learn more about metal and striving to create more minimalist works, Krol founded and runs the successful Hearts and Crafts Indie Market with photographer Lisa Barker, which involves a host of local artists and crafters in a one- or two-day event, typically outside Java's Cafe on Gibbs Street or Starry Nites Cafe on University. The pair regularly scouts new talent for the show, which has an ever-growing audience with a "growing appreciation for what these grassroots efforts have to offer." These indie shows support the local economy while they "empower the individual, build confidence and connectivity, and support the ‘American dream' of free enterprise," says Krol. "The connections that have been born of this network are just beautiful."

Krol consigns work to local and regional boutiques, including Thread on South Avenue and Dorje Adornments on Alexander Street, and supplements her income by working part-time at Starry Nites Cafe, and occasionally picking up a nannying gig. But in order to keep her craft as a top priority, Krol lives in a way to support it as her primary interest. Krol looks forward to future collaborations with artists of all backgrounds, creating more custom work, and hopes to take on students in the near future. "I really appreciate how Sharon [Jeter] has allowed me to learn and develop as an artist in this trade," she says, "and I'd like to pay it forward."

Krol has a website under construction, but in the meantime, you can view her work on her Facebook page (search "interstellar love craft"), at Stefan Otter Fine Jewelers (3349 Monroe Avenue) and Embrasse-Moi (1 North Main Street, Pittsford). Coming up, Krol will have a table at Wedgestock on August 20, and will participate in Clothesline Art Festival in September.

Are you a local emerging artist, or do you know of one who should be featured in a future piece? Send an e-mail to rrafferty@rochester-citynews.com.