Jack Smith | Recent Paintings

JACK SMITH | RECENT PAINTINGS

JACK SMITH | RECENT PAINTINGS OCTOBER 19 - JANUARY 3, 2007 A portrait involves a complex negotiation between the sitter and the artist. Difficult questions arise in the process. The artist must ask, “How do you see yourself?” The sitter’s response may then seem calculated or natural, but it always prompts a new question, “How do you see me?” The portrait evolves as a dialog between artist and subject about the construction of identity. It is a delicate matter.

A viewer’s relationship to a portrait makes matters more interesting. Drawn to the crook of a wry smile, a pair of particularly interesting glasses, a certain expression, or even a tattoo, viewers might see themselves in the work. The experience can confirm or transform their own sense of identity.

Historically, portraiture has focused on the likeness of the rendered picture to the subject. A good portrait was said to be a good likeness and an exceptional portrait was said to convey the inner person. With the advent of photography however, the importance of capturing an accurate physical representation of the subject declined.

Fortunately, Jack Smith’s portraiture has always focused on revealing the inner person. When the people in his paintings gaze back out at us, we see their relationship to the artist, their wit, and their sense of self-image. We may even catch a glimpse of their history. A subject that gazes away, on the other hand, can provoke a sense of intrigue, which for some, will develop into fascination - a conviction that enough study will one day yield a revelation. Such is the power of portraiture.

That power is magnified by Smith’s considerable gifts as a painter. Employing a startling Realism, the dynamic compositional sensibility of contemporary photography, and the emotional resonance of Expressionism, his paintings often prove as compelling to collectors of more traditional imagery as they do to contemporary collectors.

Jack Smith was born in Fremont, Michigan in 1950. After studying painting at Columbus College of Art and Design, The Instituto Allende, and Thomas Jefferson College, he has spent the majority of his thirty-year painting career in Western Michigan and the American Southwest, principally Taos, New Mexico. The artist was introduced to Sullivan Goss by poet, Dan Gerber, in 2002.

- Jeremy Tessmer - Gallery Director

RIGHT: PORTRAITS OF AMERICAN POETS 25 works at 6 x 6 inches each | black oil on copper

DOAN AT THE ADOBE BAR AND GRILL 42 x 28 inches | black oil on copper

ZOE ON THE RUE IDOU ANFA 46 x 31 inches | black oil on copper

PORTRAIT OF BARRY AND JO 34 x 22 inches | black oil on copper

PINKY 30 x 24 inches | black oil on copper

RIGHT: STUDY IN WHITE, PORTRAIT OF RC AND TONTO 54 x 36 inches | black oil on copper

SULLIVAN GOSS AT NIGHT S A T U R D A Y , O C T O B E R 2 1 ST | F R O M 5 U N T I L 7 P M 11 EAST ANAPAMU STREET | SANTA BARBARA, CALIFORNIA We are staying open late to welcome artists, collectors, and interested community members to come explore our exhibition of Jack Smith’s lastest paintings, our solo exhibits for John Nava and Ken Bortolazzo, and our Fall Salon of Important American Paintings. The night will feature a chance for good conversation, refreshments, and a no host bar. Please join us.

Sullivan Goss AN AMERICAN GALLERY

7 East Anapamu Street Santa Barbara, CA 93101 (805) 730-1460 P LE A S E VISIT OUR NEW WEBSITE: h t t p : / / www.sullivangoss.com

COVER: OLIVE 6 x 6 inches | black oil on copper

PORTRAIT OF NEIL AND RICK 24 x 24 inches | black oil on copper