BIO/STATEMENT

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Shane Smith (b. Jan 12, 1999 in Kingston, Jamaica) is a New York based painter

and sculptor. His works explore classic genres in the history of art; depicting human life, natural & domestic environments, and other common themes. Though traditional in subject matter, his work searches for meaning in the mundane, and balances on the threshold of mystery and familiarity.

 

            

          “ Oh how I wish to convey the sentiments of everyday; the moments in-between; the stillness, the silence; sympathy, and empathy; love in a look; a life in a gesture; Humility, humanity... hope ; what is real, and sincere; laughter, and tears; the little things that make a big difference”

          My art practice is an investigation/ observation of experiences that have emotionally, intellectually, & aesthetically left an impression on me. Primarily, I paint with oil on canvas, and wood.

        Whereas I began my journey as a painter, through modes of introspection and symbolic representation, I’ve found that the remarkable moments and things of daily life can be just as revelatory. And so, surveying my environment for compositions has become one of my favorite aspects of picture making. It has enriched not only my practice, but also my experience of life, with an active gratitude for the experience of looking and responding to my environment.

         In my sculptures of plaster, wood, stone, and ceramic clay; I investigate fleeting, ephemeral, or spiritual attributes such as gesture, mannerism, and temperament. From this understanding, I may deconstruct a natural form to restate it implicitly; preserving only essential & inherent qualities/characteristics that render the form identifiable by association.

         I am interested in art's ability to contradict what is apparently objective, and its potential to elicit potent emotional and intellectual responses in doing so.