PEGGY SMITH
Art of Letting Go
ARTIST STATEMENT:
“The making of art is learning the process of letting go.”
Art for me equals fun. I love to experiment and push boundaries. I have never been satisfied within the confines of one medium. I was a weaver who after I made several wearable articles began to weave three dimensionally.
Working with clay I could never be satisfied with the wheel or hand building plates and bowls. I had to change everything into a sculpture.
Once Photoshop came into existence I enjoyed photography so much more. But once again, I became bored and sought out a means for more expression.
As I work I tell myself stories. My art work is a story created from my inner and outer self. My work has to have color, it has to flow, it has to explode, it should dance and sing, bring joy, sorrow or laughter to me. Every piece I make I weave a story into its creation.
Discovering photo encaustic was an amazing revelation. I could take my photographs and push the limit with this medium. The photograph becomes part of the canvas, but it no longer takes center stage. It joins the rest of the canvas as part of a larger concept. Layer upon layer of wax, and pigments, and designs, dance together to blend color, light and photographs into a new and different concept.
Art is about experimenting and letting go of your fears, and constraints. Photo encaustics is the ultimate in experimentation because at every step you can change your direction, take away what does not work, and make discoveries that never came to mind when you started. There is a story to be told in every piece of art whether it is your story or someone else’s story.
That is what makes art.
ABOUT THE ARTIST:
Peggy began her art career as a fiber artist while teaching three-dimensional design at Haverhill High school. Upon moving to Vermont in the 60’s, she continued her art while pursuing a real estate career and raising children. Throughout this period, she developed her own photographs, and incorporated them in collages, silk screens and fabric. Once the digital camera and Adobe became available Peggy found a new way of expressing herself through photographs.
Peggy’s main focus is clay sculpture. She finds that the clay speaks to her in a way that brings out her love of the three-dimensional form and her sense of humor. The forms reveal themselves into characters that take on their own personalities and speak to her about their lives. Because of this, Peggy also looks for the unusual and the humor in everyday life as she travels around the world with her camera. She prefers to travel in countries that are underdeveloped and to look for the unusual to photograph. Then using the creativity of the tools available to manipulate photos she brings a new dimension to her work .
Peggy’s life is full of color and energy which she expresses in her art. Although there are times she takes on more serious subjects, she enjoys the whimsy that happens spontaneously.
* * *
All artwork is available for sale.
For pricing information contact
Peggy Smith:
peggy@stowere.com