Artist Statement

Samantha Keely Smith’s paintings navigate the space between conscious thought and subconscious emotion, merging abstraction and figuration into dreamlike works. Her practice explores the landscapes of the psyche, addressing themes of loss, joy, grief, and resilience. Informed by personal encounters with illness and transformation, her recent work examines tensions between individual identity and collective human experience. Smith invites introspection, encouraging viewers to embrace discomfort and uncertainty rather than seek fixed answers.

Drawing on Romantic and Baroque techniques, Smith captures the psychological intensity of figures and abstract landscapes through light, shadow, and movement. Her works convey heightened emotional states—ecstasy, anxiety, and despair—through a dynamic interplay of these elements.

Her figures, often derived initially from works of Masters, are reinterpreted with elements drawn from her own experiences and those around her. These figures dissolve into turbulent, abstract landscapes that bridge past and present, inviting reflection on universal emotions that connect us across generations.

In her purely abstract works, Smith is guided by her subconscious, using solvents, scraping, and intuitive gestures to create compositions that balance chaos and serenity. While her palette often evokes the atmospheric light and color of the Romantics, the paintings are unquestionably contemporary in their approach.

Through this integration of art historical influences and contemporary methods, Smith engages our enduring dialogue with the past. Her work reclaims the sublime as a space for collective contemplation in an often disorienting world.

Bio

Brooklyn-based artist Samantha Keely Smith was born in England. After moving to the US as a child, Smith went on to study Fine Arts at the School of Visual Arts in New York. She left SVA after her Freshman year to be the full-time caregiver for her terminally ill Mother. After her Mother’s passing she returned to college at Mason Gross School of the Arts, Rutgers University and received a BFA with Honors (Painting, 1991).

Smith’s paintings are included in private and public collections in the US, Europe and UK.

An avid music fan she has collaborated with musicians she greatly admires such as Richard Barbieri (of the renowned British new wave/art rock band Japan), Lloyd Cole, and experimental drone metal band SUNN O))) - whose albums have featured her paintings on their covers.

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