Claude Smith's work develops as a collaborative process with non- artists. He uses issues of sexuality, asking participants to draw their response to the ideas he puts forth. He then organizes their work into complex compositional relationships using print making methods such as chine collé and Xerox transfers into more elaborate pieces. One work may spin off to the next, each work generating itself from the last. Controlled accidents combine with a designer's understanding of placement to create unexpected relationships. In the work G-SPOT VARIATIONS, the beauty of the simple drawn line combines with submerged sexual references embedded in the work and its title to act as a metaphor for our own submerged sexual feelings. Smith's process as well as the work itself can be a catalyst for breaking down barriers between people. As the artist has stated:
My local collaborators are self proclaimed "non-artists", each with a unique vision and singular way of expressing themselves. I love the direct and unpretentious quality of their drawings and have done my best to creatively orchestrate the compositions while weaving my own drawings into the mix.
The works in this exhibition have come out of diverse 20th century traditions of art making like collage, assemblage, arte povera, and folk art. Freedom from traditional subject matter, materials and processes has resulted in a range of expressive possibilities. The three artists represented here, Robert Armstrong, Ronit Arnon and Claude Smith, have transformed this freedom into personal exploration. Each has sought an individual working process. Armstrong takes an approach based on observation somewhat akin to a naturalist; Arnon uses personal and historical associations; and Smith deals with issues of sexuality and collaboration. Though their ideas are distinct, there is a commonality in the way these artists work. Paper is the primary medium. Pieced-together shapes and scraps are painted, drawn upon, printed or transferred and then assembled in various ways to create a larger work. Intuition plays a role in the development of the composition in all three artists' work, as does serendipity, whimsy and improvisation.
The cut and paste approach to art making in REALMS and FRAGMENTS is purposefully low tech and playful in attitude. The working process, however, belies the seriousness of intention and the depth of feeling harbored within the works themselves.
— from the Essay by Robert Poplack
Realms and Fragments
Curated by Robert Poplack and Charles Strong
Wiegand Gallery, Notre Dame de Namur University
Belmont, California
January 21- February 22, 2003
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