the graffiti piece, he had people asking who had painted the Buddha because of the stark differences between the two. Another result of these paintings was experiencing all three types of people Alexander has classified when it comes to art appreciation. The first is the group that nods and smiles but has a difficult time connecting to it. The next are the ones who “get it,” many of whom are artists of one type or another themselves. They allow the piece to move them in some way. The last group are the ones who try to overanalyze a piece. Rather than just letting go and feeling their way, they find a need to pick it apart — along with the artist. It doesn’t disappoint Alexander or lessen his desire to keep on creating. It merely intrigues him and sometimes inspires him. When it comes to duality, the theme plays a huge role in Smith’s work. He compared his Awareness series to the Stop Sign series. Awareness revolves around the three words he feels are necessary to achieve the
fourth. You must “Believe” in yourself, first and foremost.If you don’t believe, then no one else will. The next is “Dedication”: you must make a commitment to your goal and follow through. The third is “Productive”: show the results of your quest. Then and only then will you “Succeed.” The flip side of this positive message is the “Stop Signs”: “Stop Wars,” “Stop Cancer,” “Stop Politics” and “Stop and Listen.” Although not negative messages, these pieces deal with the uglier sides of life while offering a message about how to fix it. We all need to “Stop and Listen.” Alexander pointed out the duality within each painting as well. In the Awareness pieces the backgrounds are chaotic and more matte finishes. The stenciled letters are crisp and precise with a glossier face. In Stop Signs there are figures and images that make the messages even stronger. Alexander went on to include his “Elements” paintings from his “Overlooked” series and the cars that he is currently getting out into the public eye, actu-
ally getting them hung at major car collector events. Again is the technique of gloss over matte. In the “Elements” pieces one only sees textured background when viewed head-on, but from the side in the right light the tree, the woman blowing bubbles, and the water droplets. Completely unintentionally, this conversation revealed four things about Alexander. He made a point to bring up the three things that make him who he is, but there is a fourth. The first three were being bi-racial, meeting the challenge of a learning disability, and being a cancer survivor. The fourth is his family. He mentioned many times the love, support and courage that surrounded him both as a child and today. His paintings can include four mediums: pencil, brush, airbrush, and spraycan. At the end of the day, Alexander is peaceful, joyful, serious, and spiritual. He is an introverted extrovert who can speak volumes in words or in silences. His journey thus far has been interesting and will only get more fantastic.
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