Walking into the ROX gallery I was immediately taken by Tom Smith’s colorful, eye catching, one-of-kind works. As I went from painting to painting I could not help but go up close to each one and admire all of the details in each and every piece. One thing I found so special about Smith’s work was that they all seemed so precise and neat while still feeling very loose and organic. I went from painting to painting marveling at his talents and trying to figure out how he accomplished that balance.
I was also busy trying to figure out what each painting was and what their connections were to each other. I thought maybe they were inspired by maps, or by the galaxy or possibly even by monsters. (Tom Smith did later explain the inspiration behind his work. It turns out my guesses were not quite right but, hey, that’s part of the fun right?) Each painting was so magical, I felt like I was being transported to different realms just by looking at them (which in hindsight I find pretty cool because, in truth, each work was inspired by Smith’s travels).
After having time to admire the paintings, we were fortunate to hear from Tom Smith himself. He shared many incredible insights and thoughts about his work, and art in general. However, one idea that stood out to me was his discussion of “resolving a painting.” I found it incredibly fascinating when he explained that the first method employed on his paintings (creating two works and then cutting them into thin strips and then gluing them together) left him out of control of the final product. Thus, when he started his second group of paintings he needed to figure out on his own when each painting was done. I find this so admirable, but at the same time very relatable, because I can’t imagine working so hard on anything yet not really having a final say on its outcome, while, at the same time, I really appreciate the struggle of not knowing when you are done, when you have done your best, and when its time to move on.
Our class trip to meet Tom Smith and see his artwork was in my opinion the most engaging and exhilarating trip yet. Being able to first absorb the brightly colored paintings and then being able to get explanations and insight from Tom Smith, himself was what made this trip a unique experience. The first thing I noticed when walking in was the digital style of many aspects of the paintings. It was almost like from far you could be led to believe it was digital art even though it wasn’t. This effect was especially seen with the perfectly straight and equal cuts of paper in the straight-line patterns in some of the paintings.
Although Smith places such importance on technology, as in his video-art and his paintings that look digital, we can’t be fooled to forget that Smith’s main focus is on the physical beauties of different parts of the world, and that’s where he gets inspiration to create his art. The painting that resonated the most with me was the painting that seemed to look like a map with red water and green, elevated land. When I asked Smith about that piece, he said that his trip to Iceland gave him the inspiration. Iceland has many volcanoes with molten rock and lava, which is depicted as the orange lava in the painting, and this creates the thick moss, or the elevated green wooden pieces. This seemed very unique to me, because it was not a 3D sculpture, but it was also not just a painting. It was a hybrid of the two.
After hearing from Tom Smith, I learned some things about the paintings that interested me. Firstly, how he doesn’t “predetermine the art.” Instead, “it’s exploring and going from there.” He allows the flow of the art take him to the completion of the piece. This struck me as a different approach than what I thought was the conventional way of creating art. Another interesting aspect of the art was how he implemented colors of light, which when mixed create a vibrant white color, as opposed to when physical colors are combined, they create a darker brownish color. I was definitely cultured and enlightened after the visit!
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