After a stint at a prestigious art school in New York in the 1970s, I started my career as a jewelry designer. I then did graphic design, children’s book illustration and realistic painting. When I got old and burned out with all of that, I had some fun exploring abstraction and some three-dimensional mixed media, found object and collage work, much of which was based on my favorite oxymorons. I found myself constantly asking the question, “What IS reality?” None of us ever see the same thing in the same way. So what is authentic and true for me? I became very interested in looking at the fresh, uninhibited perspectives of children’s art and also “outsider art,” done by untrained or “primitive” artists and those who used to be referred to as the insane or even the criminally insane. There, one finds fascinating and very original work that certainly challenges conventional views of reality – and makes me try to forget everything I ever learned in art class.
Web: robertasmithart.com
Blog: “A Fine Mess” robertasmithart.blogspot.com
Roberta Smith explores the outer reaches of inner space from her home and studio in Salida.
