About The Artist

 

 

Artist statement

For me drawing is the only way to translate my visions to a reality. When I think about it, I have always been artistic in the way that I use images to express my ideas, views, beliefs, or emotions on any given topic. Whatever form it may have been in the past I now use drawing and painting to express these things. Transforming virtually nothing into something beautiful has always amazed me. I am very dedicated to my work and have studied passionately for about 6 years now. It feels me with a sense of accomplishment, joy, satisfaction and makes me feel complete.

My medium of choice is pastel because, I feel closer to the drawing and It makes me more a part of it. Since so much of who I am is emotionally involved in it, it only feels right to be physically involved as well. I take many different images from my life experiences or ideas, and try to combine them in a way that they tell a story or communicate an idea, feeling or an emotion, that I am trying to get across in that particular piece. (emotions being the key to a wonderful painting to me). I do it for the joy and all the other mixed emotions I get when I have completed a piece, and I wish to share those same feelings with everyone who views my work. Though pastel is my favorite medium I try not to limit myself to just one, each has its own unique qualities, and I feel limiting myself to just one only holds me back.

More recently, I have been inspired to dedicate almost all of my time and work into portraits for various reasons, while still expressing certain moods and feelings, and emotions in them that I feel allot of portraits lack now days. I’m still very much experimenting and I always will. I've really been experimenting lately with various lighting effects of portraits, and working in a very untraditional way almost backwards starting very dark and working my way up to light. I also use quite a bit of black in my portraits and most are very dark, I think it adds more drama and mystery, to the piece and makes the colors much more intense. I am always challenging myself to come up with new ideas and concepts for my paintings.

 

 

About the Artist

My name is Brandon smith, I was born in Murray KY, In 1984, That would make me 23. Like I said I have always been artistic in the way that I use images to express my ideas, views, beliefs, or emotions on any given topic. I always felt I was creative, drawing, making things, coming up with ideas, and solving problems with images always came natural to me even at a young age. But like most kids I was to busy with other things and never had anyone to recognize the skills I had and push me, and I never thought twice about it as a kid. I Think I was around the age of 15 when I started drawing and people thought it was amazing what I could do, this encouraged me to learn more and more, I began to get very serious with it and I gave up many hobbies to dedicate more time to my art. I read every book I could find about art and how to books, and still do to this day. I think I was around 15 going on 16 when me and my family took a trip to Memphis. We were downtown there was a big party bands on ever corner, every shop open having sales, est.. I remember there were portrait artist set up every were we walked past one several times. Finally after watching him I got in line to get my portrait drawn. I think it was then that I realized this is what I want to do with my life, maybe not exactly in that form but a "artist". I guess I just didn't realize that you can make a living at being a artist. I did but, I guess it never crossed my mind until then. when realized that people do this for a living I became even more excited and turned on to it. I realized that I could do whatever I wanted to for a living but nothing would make me happier than doing what I love to do and what I do best.

So I've been painting for about six or seven yrs now. I've tried every type of medium, oil, acrylic, pastel, oil pastel, watercolor, est..

I've tried sculpting, wood work, metal work, est..

I've experimented with various subject matters, landscape, portraits, still life's, est..

Different Styles, realism, surrealism, impressionism, post impressionism, modernism, post modernism, expressionism, cubism, abstract, non-objective, there's more but I wont go on.

I love all types, all mediums, but pastels are best for me in so many ways, and portraits are what I always come back to.

 

 

 

Brandon Smith