RAND SCOT SMITHEY
Artist Statement
"My studio practice always begins outside the studio. The work derives directly from a
need to describe and interpret the world we all live in and rely on. While the paintings and sculptures are not always recognizable as objects from our world, they are always guided by specific references. Sometimes there are explicit symbols. For instance, a ladder or staircase is a metaphor for aspiration. It symbolizes our need to become more than we are, more than we think we can be, more than others expect of us. It’s about transcendence. But most of the time there are no explicit symbols, only the feeling that curve and angle and color can impart on a viewer. Connotation is everything. What you see is what you see, and what you feel is what you feel. From these references I create a particular visual language and apply it my work."