north east corner of sitting room – foto by Smith
My collages / assemblages / paintings are hard to photograph (especially in this low gray sunless light) due to their 3-dimensionality, multiple textures, odd groupings of paint and found objects, and complexity.
Since most of my pieces extend from the canvas at least 1 to 12 inches, one’s perspective of them changes as one walks by. Sometimes holograms or mirror shards wink at you as you move.
These pieces also change greatly depending upon light and time of day – sometimes they glow and dance in the sun, other times they lurk in shadow.
Here’s one mom and two Smith pieces in the north east corner of our sitting room.
Jokerman, 2003, 9″ x 9″, Mother Dwarf Smith – foto by Smith
This is Jokerman by Mother Dwarf Smith, aka Florence E. Smith, aka my mom – born 1926, died 2005. She asked me to name this for her and I offered Bob Dylan’s song of the same name because the Picasso-ish face on the left is from the cover art of one of my Bob Dylan singles – perhaps even the Jokerman 45 rpm record. Those are glittering costume jewel tears falling from the eye. This piece served as the art card for mom’s last show in 2005 just months before she died.
T.V.O.D. / Com Sat I, 2005, 49″ x 48″ x 8″ – art and foto by Smith
This is a large heavy piece four foot in diameter. I envision it as a communication satellite orbiting earth transmitting TV programs down – for example, the wicker horse could be a western being shown, while the mannequin arm with finger pointing is the satellite to earth transmission antennae. This is a wonderfully multi-leveled and complex piece that I never tire of looking at.
Free Bird, 1977, 16″ x 20″ – art and foto by Smith
This is the first piece I made for myself after I moved to Cleveland in 1977, after first making two thank-you collages for the wife I was being faithful to and her husband. It’s basically a state of the nation as shown by one month’s worth of Time magazines. There are three fotos of me in it – as a baby, a 17 year old, and in my early 30s. This is the first piece where I started adding all sorts of found objects – like barb wire, crustacians, glass, pepper, bottle caps, chains, billfold plastic, etc.
A few detail shots to establish context and content.
details of Smith art – fotos by Smith
It’s interesting that you include yourself in some of your art. It says to me that you like (love) yourself. What does it say to you?
Fantastic art!