Artist Statement
These 12 pieces use found objects as paint and paint as object
to create urban fairy tales, moral landscapes, and symbolic pricks of conscience.
They explore the great divide twixt flesh and spirit, mind and heart,
right and wrong, beauty and ugliness.
The use of common objects in an uncommon way draws the viewer in because
of their subjective response to recognizable objects from their own existence.
This combined with the literary and suggestive titles causes
the mind to wonder while the eye wanders, thus adding mystery to the mix.
Time and chance are incorporated in that a mixture of copper corrosion
and iron is often used - the copper slowly darkens over the years
while the underlying iron rusts, so in a piece like Darwin's Radio
the iron shavings will slowly rust a bright orange through the blue copper
corrosion covering them. How and when the copper and iron oxidation
occurs is unknown and unknowable at the time of creation.
There are also strong Zen (The Three Ways of Water), moral (War),
humorous (Vampires on the Beach) and/or perception (e=mc2) elements involved.
These pieces are a collaboration between myself, the objects used,
and the viewer - so essentially everyone will see a different piece.
Since the pieces are so textured and sculptural, they change as the light changes.
They also become different pieces as the viewer changes and grows.
As in all art, these pieces have three functions:
1) to catch the eye
2) intrigue the mind
3) instruct the spirit.
(this proposal was turned down by the ohio arts council 1.5.2004)
29 pieces in private collections
10 top collages 10 top illustrations 10 top fotos 10 top poems
agent of chaos collage what's new guest artists
fotos of smith from 1946 thru 2004
search Agent of Chaos website
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