Resurrection, 2007
oil on canvas (34″ x 50″)
Ascension, 2007
oil on canvas (54″ x 70″)
Cruciferous, 2008
oil on canvas (54″ x 80″)
Artist Statement (Excerpt)
Resurrection is not only about the process of the mix between abstract and real but also concerned with the presence of human reaction to the emotion associated with enigmatic personal experiences. Those private moments when things seem above and beyond human understanding are the ones we either tell or keep a secret. This depends upon who experiences them, for some will tell immediately and believe wholeheartedly in the supernatural, while others will dismiss not only their experiences but the tales of even their most trusted confidants.
Recently, with Resurrection, Smith began toying with the concept of abstracted bitmaps and pixels. Throughout the series he sprinkles small color spaces of brushed on pigment through stencils. To the artist, these intrusions represent the concepts of transition of time and space. They also represent the idea of the manifestation of both good and evil. Much in the way that corrupted DVDs present bitmapped projections of scattered images, these tiny squares provide the transition between real and imagined—between abstract and realism. They are paintings on top of paintings but within paintings. The concept of which, can be observed in Smith’s earlier series, too. In Revelations in Red, he uses similar geometric forms and collage materials (particularly postage stamps) to represent rights of passage. In Sanctuary, he employs text, floating etched images and layers of various mixed media to create spiritual illusions and surreal thought processes.
Artist Website