East Gallery
James A. Smith Ordinary Objects
March 29 thru May 14, 2004
Although
James was born in Lawrenceburg, Indiana in 1968, both his parents were
native Oklahomans. James’ father, Jimmy Smith, a Cherokee Indian
from Tahlequah, Oklahoma, moved the family to numerous Army bases in
the U.S. and abroad, when James was 9, his family moved back to Tulsa,
where he attended Carver Middle School and Booker T. Washington High
School.
Primarily self-taught, his only real art education came at an early age when he began art lessons with celebrated Tulsa artist, George Kountoupis, and later through his high school art teacher, Andy Zaller. After graduation, James briefly attended Kansas City Art Institute, but returned to Oklahoma to pursue graphic design at OSU-Okmulgee. After 10 years in the design community, James decided to return to his first love and with a leap of faith began his full time pursuit of a fine art career.
James is currently represented by Joseph
Gierek Fine Art in Tulsa,
Horizon Gallery in Santa
Fe and Art Source Atlanta in Atlanta. He and
his wife live in Tulsa with their four children and three dachshunds.
My goal as an artist is simple: to create beautiful and personally satisfying art. I paint because it is who I am. It is impossible for me to conceive of another vocation that could be as soul satisfying. Even though I have earned a degree and applied myself in other fields, it is only as an artist that I fulfill my purpose and experience peace. So I paint.
My only education in painting came at the early age of 10, when
I received lessons for two years from a celebrated local artist.
Other than this group classroom instruction, I am self-taught.
I produce work in a classical realism style because it brings me the most satisfaction and joy. The challenge for me is to accurately describe what I see when I am standing in my studio in front of a still-life composition. It is like telling a story, only I make my interpretation through pigment and brushstrokes on a two-dimensional canvas. My satisfaction comes when the end product speaks for itself and is recognizable to the viewer. The joy I experience as an artist comes from the accomplishment of this challenge.
With a still-life, I can control the composition, lighting and subject
matter. I find that by taking regular objects and presenting them in
an unusual manner, I can create a unique artistic vocabulary that speaks
to the viewer and allows them to recognize the beauty of everyday objects
that is otherwise lost. I believe my work carries on the historic precedent
of elevating mundane subject matter to the status of fine art.
Through striving to balance creativity and technique,
and form them into my own personal voice, I find that I can speak
to the viewers even though they may be a complete stranger standing
in a gallery. The recognition of the subject matter and the power
of beauty resonate with the viewer and connects to the viewer’s
own unique experience. Thus, what begins as a desire to satisfy my
soul through the process of creation, ends in a soul satisfying experience
for the viewer.
–James A. Smith
Sponsored by the Oklahoma Arts Council. For more information contact Scott Cowan or Karen Sharp at 405.521.2931 or scott@arts.ok.gov