Sally K. Smith

I create charcoal from unique materials such as money, food, documents and plants. These materials have meanings that I can integrate into a drawing or painting. I have developed methods for applying these unconventional charcoals to surfaces. Sometimes I use repurposed objects as templates. Often these relate to the meaning of a piece. Most of my charcoal pieces are minimalist and conceptual. Some revolve only around pattern or gesture. The materials become a partner in my artistic process. These pieces are unique and rich in exploration.

I also create representational art with oil on canvas. I like to charge beautiful images with an underlying tension or irony. For example, I created a series examining the battles between the equally beautiful native and invasive plants on the California fire trails. I also create paintings based on vintage photographs, honoring the magic of a single moment yet ruing the passage of time. Train stations and places of travel often appear in my paintings. These images juxtapose the romance of travel with the melancholy of separation. Like the subject matter, my paint handling bridges calm and turbulence. I paint wet into wet and often mix colors on the canvas to blur the boundaries between objects and place. I paint in many layers, leaving parts of each layer exposed. I also used many different sized brushes. My intent is to create a feeling of interconnectedness and ambiguity so that we can experience the world a little differently.