Ric Savid and Karen Swyler convey human interactions without saying a word. Their exhibition, “Louder Than Words,” opens Tuesday at the River Gallery.

“Mr. Savid emotionally connects viewer and subject through his black-and-white photographs, while Ms. Swyler invites viewers on an exploration of the delicate nuances of personal relationships as expressed in the subtleties of her ceramic work,” said Kara DeRoche, marketing director for River Gallery. “Our July artists communicate a shared emotional experience that is louder than words.”

It took Mr. Savid a while to settle on his career as a photographer. He worked in an orphanage in Germany, a pub in Ireland, crewed a sailboat in the Caribbean, attended the seminary, served in the Peace Corps and was a journalist for the St. Petersburg Times in Florida. But it was a chemistry experiment designed to kill time that brought him back to his childhood fascination with photography.

“Anxious, bored and unemployed after graduate school, I set up a darkroom in the bathroom of a tiny New York City apartment,” the Florida photographer says in his artist’s statement.

The experiment worked and, since then, his photography has been driven by the need for self-expression and communicating emotion. His photographs in “Louder Than Words” focus on natives of the Philippines.

Ms. Swyler, a resident of Vermont, creates ceramic vessels that are meant to function on a variety of levels.

“This body of work investigates subtleties in communication and the importance of the lasting effects individuals can have on each other,” she said in her statement accompanying the show.

Aesthetically, the understated appearance of the vessels requires the viewer to spend time examining the nuances of color and surface texture.

“Louder Than Words” will remain on display through July 31. A reception will be held on Friday, July 11, from 6:30 to 8 p.m.

River Gallery, corner of Bluff View and High streets, is open 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Saturday, 1-5 p.m. on Sunday and by appointment. For information, call 265-5033.

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