The Erik Schwab Interview
Swell Taco is an intersection of the Mexican cuisine, surf culture and local creativity. To highlight that local creativity we want to give everyone a more semi-formal introduction to the creators behind the art adorning the Swell Taco walls. Each is part of the Swell community, part of the local surf community and a true individual whose art reflects the essence of what makes this restaurant so totally unique.
words by John Angiulo
“My work is trying to say... “NY is beautiful and it FIRES”.”
John Angiulo: Where did you grow up?
Erik Schwab: I grew up in East Islip with Robert Moses as my "homebreak".
JA: What’s your spirit animal?
ES: My spirit animal would have to be a Pelican. The way they cruise along, surf the waves, remarkable precision, and are often found just chilling nearby the ocean is pretty awesome.
JA: Do you have a love affair with the ocean? If so, how long has it been going on and does your significant other know/are they jealous?
ES: YES. A love affair, an addiction, a serious problem. The ocean gets in the way A LOT. This love affair has been ongoing for easily 25 years now. No ocean for me is not a good thing. Salt runs through these veins. And to answer the second part, yes; my significant other is often jealous but she knows that there is no getting in between my love affair for the ocean.
JA: When did you begin creating art?
ES: It all started with this unreal finger painting I did when I was 4 years old that sold on the black market for $47,000. From that moment on, I was considered a prodigy in the art world... Haha just kidding. I was one of those "uncool" kids who loved art class in school. I was big into painting in middle and high school until I took a film photography class as an upper class-man, which was when I started to enjoy being behind the lens. That evolved into a collection of surf flicks that me and my friends created of ourselves (they may or may not be still on YouTube) and circled back around to still photos over the last 15 years or so.
JA: Who influenced you?
ES: I could totally name the classic artists and photographers, but they didn’t have a direct influence on me like some of the more local guys such as Tommy Colla and Mike Nelson. Tom was always a huge inspiration for me when I was younger. I remember when I was in high school I met up with him to purchase a few of my first surf photos of myself that he had shot. Still have them framed in my room at my parents’ house. Sometime before that purchase I actually got in trouble by him and some of the other local guys for naming a spot on a photo that was on my MySpace page... real story. Needless to say, I never did that again. Some of the real "famous" guys like Clark Little inspired me to take water photos and Chris Burkard is one of my absolute modern day favorites.
JA: What do you think your work is trying to capture or say?
ES: My work is trying to say... "NY is beautiful and it FIRES". My goal is to take timeless images that capture moments that will likely never be repeated again. I try to capture the raw beauty that New York offers up. My favorite is dramatic natural lighting, favorable winds and good swell!
JA: Do you have a piece of work that stands out to you or that you’re most proud of?
ES: Yes. One of my personal best sellers "Golden Frame" was taken almost ten years ago now in a plastic bag for my very first DSLR camera. I've taken literally millions of photos since that image and there is just something that stands out about that captured moment.
JA: All of the artists have been part of the Swell Crew for a long time. When did you first start coming to Swell?
ES: Since it opened!! Been real close friends with most of the guys for many years now, and have a strong bond with most of the original staff of Swell Taco Babylon.
JD: What do you think makes Swell Taco a special place that we all keep coming back to?
ES: Maybe the tacos? Or the margs? Definitely the margs... No, it's the vibe, yes the vibe, or the flautas? Not a fair question. All I know is since I've been living in Montauk, whenever I head back to central Long Island, Swell is on my list of things to do.
JA: What’s your favorite thing to eat at Swell?
ES: Margaritas. Haha, real answer... I love those darn chicken flautas with that delicious sauce they come with.
JA: What super power do you believe you have? What super power do you want to have?
ES: I have the super power of being in the right place at the right time (most of the time). If I could actually have a super power though it would be tele-transportation. Oh, wind is west? Off to Jersey I go... Oh man, firing in Long Beach? TADAAAA! Saltyman has arrived!!
JA: Can Art and Tacos, together, save the world. If so, how?
ES: Anything is possible. Imagine if everyone in the world had access to endless tacos and beautiful art? I'm pretty sure nobody would be angry or hungry for that matter. Sounds like world peace to me.
JA: What would you tell your 20 year old self if you could communicate back one thing through time?
ES: Oh man, there would be so many things I would tell my 20 year old self...
“Don’t rack up so much college debt would undoubtedly be the best piece of advice I could give my younger myself. ”
JA: What’s the Saltiest vision you’ve ever personally gotten? What’s the saltiest vision you’ve captured of someone?
ES: Saltiest vision I've ever gotten is probably a Nicaraguan barrel this past Summer on a trip with THE James McGaley from Swell Babylon. Overhead tube, absolutely drain-oed, barrel so long and deep the salt in my vision crusted and closed my eyes shut as I got blown out of the tube... definition of Salty Visionz.
JA: And the saltiest of someone else?
ES: While I've shot photos in Hawaii, CR, Nicaragua, CA, along with many other places along with a slew of professional surfers, it was a photo session on the north shore of Puerto Rico where I got some of the best surf photos of my life. Fresh off the plane, lost in a dark jungle trying to find a spot before sunrise that I had never been to. When I got to the break, Leif Engstrom and Alex Fawess were the only guys out (pre-sunrise) charging 8-10' spitting tubes. The magic of that day probably had to do with the fact that I got to actually see the level that those guys are on. I've always considered myself a good surfer, but they made me realize a few things that day haha.
