Wednesday, November 28, 2007

New "Paintings" web page...

We've added a "Paintings" page, which will feature recent and available paintings currently at galleries and in my studio. Special thanks to Andrew Stein who did the photography, and our studio manager Noelle Vaccese for putting it all together. Here is a recent treatment written for an upcoming show:

Patrick Smith’s paintings use simplified human forms as building blocks for complex, patterned configurations. Some figures appear to be struggling, some relaxing, some taking advantage, others reluctantly accepting a burden. Smaller characters might carry the weight of unknowing larger figures, who enjoy tranquil contemplation unaware of those laboring beneath them. Despite these contrasts, an overall optimism emerges. These figures generally aspire to a higher level of mutual support, embodying all the complexities of individuals defined by their positions and actions, not their appearance. The figures Smith paints are iconic representations of us all: featureless, but unquestionably human. Their physical differences are limited to color and size. As I make these observations, I begin to perceive their meaning: we all are part of something larger. Smith has constructed these images to reverberate that simplistic, sublime message to the contemporary world.