Smith Eliot: As Fish and Eel Between My Fingers Flow

November 30th through Friday, January 28th, 2005

Smith works in what she describes as photo-based acrylic lifts, a meticulous process that produces work that is seductive,

surreal and deserves to be seen in person to be fully appreciated. “The multi-step process begins with imagery capture by the

artist as silver gelatin prints. The images are then enhanced and given depth through toning and sometimes hand painting. “I

have them scanned on a drum scanner and pigment prints are made of them. This pigment is then lifted off in transparent acrylic

media. The resulting acrylic skin is then mounted onto painted, textured wooden panels and displayed in rusted, welded steel

frames.” Subtle nuances are inherent in each image; the cracking of the acrylic, the color shifts, fingerprints, and, as she says, all

the “weird bits” of her creative process are recorded in the final work.

Smith’s visual language explores themes of transformation, transience, deterioration. These themes can be found in both the

imagery and subsequently in the medium that adds to the rich, dark, dream-like world she creates in her work. All which come

together to evoke a powerful emotional response in the viewer.