Jerry Smith

Professor, Art Institute, Sinte Gleska University, Rosebud Reservation, Mission SD. jerry.smith@sintegleska.edu

 

CV (College career and Exhibition record); Personal artwork,  and Student artwork

A brief artist statement:

I grew up as the son of a rural Kansas farmer.  Farm life meant saving everything that had a potential use in the future, and making or fixing anything.  Every wall of the outbuildings were packed with objects:  hung on nails, dangling from rafter beams, stuffed in cans or jars on shelves.  It was visual chaos, but organized.

In retrospect, my art rests on that foundation.  I collect images or words and thoughts, until the moment of “I know how to use that” occurs, and they become “hung” on a canvas.  (Sometimes in the case of found objects, literally).  My compositions are organized chaos of diverse styles and images.

My content can be equally diverse, from personal introspection, to politics and religion, especially seeking to present Christian iconography in modern styles instead of traditional illustrative realism.  Given events in my life, I've become quite taken with the image of Job, as a figure of perseverance and optimism for redemption.

My art can also be seen in the following Artist Directory, selected for it's Quality and presentation of Christian Themes in contemporary art.

 

http://www.matttommeymentoring.com/christianartistdirectory