b"British artist Richard C. Smiths polychrome The wooden branches that Richard C. Smithwooden sculptures would have electrified gathers and carves are transformed intoAndre Breton.anthropomorphic figures and totems.These statuettes, some of them articulated,Phillippe Dagen, Le Monde, October 2, 2013conceal cavities that reveal other figurines,A rare discovery, Richard C Smith is an as if they were inhabited by beings from theartist of great depth and original vision. beyond. On found paper, the artist alsotraces a multitude of personages who in-John Maizels: Founder of Raw Vision Magazine, termingle and contort themselves, echoingauthor of Raw Creation: Outsider Art & Beyond the three-dimensional works. Richard C.Smith entrusts us here with the keys to hisRichard C. Smiths marvellous images areinner world, one where supernatural forcesa revelation. They grow out of an ancient are at work.Earth that most of us can only guess at. essay by Colin Rhodes Henry Boxer Gallery Densely realised, intense and direct, his Sarah Lombardi. Director, Collection del'Art Brutwork belongs to that pantheistic placewhere even inanimate matter has lifeIn his drawings, Richard C. Smithmaster-force. In this domain humans cling together fully expressesthe mystery of an indistinctin the face of some unknowable, but ever- andundefined world, reflecting our present world-spirit. In his drawings hestruggletomake sense ofan identity that isis a most subtle and beguiling colourist, undergoing a painful birth,or is liable, atwhile his sculptures are grittily direct. any moment, to disappear into nothingness.Smith is an important artist who is a fellow He holds up a mirror to our soulssoulsinvoyager with the likes of William Blake, distressand allows us to view it throughAnselm Boix-Vives, Miguel Hernandez and the filter of poetry. This makes him a greatAsger Jorn. artist.Colin Rhodes, author of Outsider Art: Spontaneous Alternatives Bruno Decharme.ABCD Collection, ParisHENRY BOXER GALLERY Cover Image The Offering, 2013. www.outsiderart.co.uk 24 inches tall, carved woodCollection Museum Het Dolhuys, Netherlands"