Richard C. Smith
7
Smith’s figures are wedded to nature as a living organism, revealing them-
selves to him as visionary presences, often as faces in the wood of trees
around him. In his drawings and sculpture this is transposed in images that
flicker like embers on tough, physically present materials, urging us close to
listen to their mute voices. “Some are quite dark,” Smith offers, “But all are
meant to be friendly. Some of them look more severe than the others. Maybe
some are more in pain than others. None of them are supposed to be bad.
They are not meant to be menacing. They’ve all got their own individual looks.
They are all friendly, honestly.” In fact, he describes the figures, faces and
bestiaries as “protectors: They protect against everything bad.” And like his
visionary fellow travellers, the intuitive, visceral connection to primal forces is
very often manifested in distinctly erotic imagery.
‘Untitled’ 2011. Crayon on found paper, 9.75 x 13.75 ins.

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