Andrew Smith 8/21/24 Andrew Smith 8/21/24

Lyons' Share Exhibit Opens September 5th at the Chester County Art Association

*Culture On The Line article screenshot - © Culture On The Line and Andrew T. Smith*

The Chester County Art Association shares the works of four active clay monoprint artists in their upcoming exhibit, “Lyons’ Share,” running from September 8th through the 24th. Learn more, including insights from the artists, in the Culture On The Line article linked here.

"The Lyons' Share"
Chester County Art Association
100 N Bradford Ave, West Chester, PA
Parking Available On-Site.
chestercountyarts.org

September Gallery Hours:
Monday-Friday: 10 AM - 5 PM
Saturday: 10 AM - 4 PM
Closed Sundays

Artists:

Steve Koelsch (skoelsch3@yahoo.com)
Robin Sesan (www.robinsesanart.com)
Andrew Smith (visualrealia.com)
Meredith Wakefield (mitchlyonsstudio.com)
Works by Mitch Lyons (mitchlyonsstudio.com)

"The Lyons' Share" opens on Thursday, September 5th, from 5:00 to 7:00 PM, at the Chester County Art Association in West Chester, Pennsylvania. The exhibit, featuring four clay monoprint artists plus representative works of Lyons, runs through September 24th. The Art Association is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization that has served the region since 1931.

Andrew Smith 7/8/24 Andrew Smith 7/8/24

CanvasRebel Online Magazine Interview

The online magazine CanvasRebel interviewed me for this June 2024 article on my art process, work with grant programs and arts and culture-related nonprofits, and the shift in “work” as I left the full-time teaching world. The interview ends with some thoughts on the need for creatives to be the strongest supporters of each other and the arts and culture industry as a whole.

Find the article here.

Andrew Smith 6/11/24 Andrew Smith 6/11/24

Visual Realia Exhibit at York's Out Door Country Club

Thanks to the ongoing efforts of Creative York, I have an exhibit of approximately two dozen clay monoprints and photographs at York’s lovely Out Door Country Club. The exhibit runs through July 12th, 2024.

The hallway-based exhibit area naturally allows for sharing monoprints on one side and photographs on the other, essentially providing two mini-exhibits.

For more information on the exhibit, visit the online article on the Culture On The Line website. Works may be purchased here.

“Clay & Pigment” by Andrew T. Smith
Out Door Country Club
May 13 - July 13, 2024
1157 Detwiler Drive, York, PA
Enter Through the Center Doors
Curated by Creative York

All works copyright by Andrew T. Smith and/or Visual Realia, LLC.

Andrew Smith 12/20/23 Andrew Smith 12/20/23

Towns in Clay

Post-impressionistic towns are rising from my matrix.

Renaissance Town II, ©2023 Andrew T. Smith. Clay monoprint, acrylic, copper mica, and calcium carbonate.

As part of the "unentitled" exhibit, I worked along with both artists Ophelia Chambliss and Debbie Toluba to create multimedia works that utilized my clay monoprints along with their acrylic skills.

I've been using acrylics in my own works more often, as well. After pulling the clay monoprint, I've added clay slip and acrylic paint; the coverage of the two is quite different, as is the texture, adding some subtle but interesting variety.

I've always liked buildings and towns expressed with a simple, post-impressionistic feel, and I’ve been working with that concept in mind with these works.

In Renaissance Town I, shown below, the town was built around elements remaining on the clay slab (matrix) from previous prints, such as the green triangle, bottom center. The buildings are merely suggested in structure.

After pulling that print, additional work and details were added to the remaining imagery on the matrix, and calcium carbonate was utilized for the white stars. After pulling Renaissance Town II, shown at the top of the page, some acrylic paint was added, such as window detail. The buildings, while abstract, are more fully realized than in the first print.

View from the Plaza: Renaissance Town I, ©2023 Andrew T. Smith, Clay Monoprint & Calcium Carbonate

Finally, more concrete structural figures are used in Urban Moon, with acrylic paint used for the loose building edges and windows. The moon is comprised of the print, clay slip, and acrylic paint.

Urban Moon, ©2023 Andrew T. Smith, Clay Monoprint, Slip, Acrylic, & Mica.

Interested in seeing more of my prints online? Follow my personal or Visual Realia Facebook pages.

Andrew Smith 8/22/23 Andrew Smith 8/22/23

Copper and Collaboration in the "unentitled" Exhibit at Marketview Arts

Seven artists with unique mediums and techniques exhibit collaborative works in the unentitled exhibit at Market View Arts.

Early during the summer of 2022, several members of the Collective Rogue Arts (CRA), an informal group of area creatives, artists, and entrepreneurs in south-central Pennsylvania, began discussing an exhibit of works focusing on collaborations between two or more artists.

As visual artists, we typically join an exhibit with many predetermined specifics: location, dates, times, exhibit themes, mediums, etc., but in this case, the task was designed from the opposite direction. We opened up this possibility to fellow CRA members.

Seven artists started down the path without a confirmed exhibit location and with only the concept of working on these joint works. During initial meetings, the artists themselves determined the exhibit theme, randomly selected initial collaborative partners for artworks, and a common color (copper) to use on individual 12" x 12" tiles that each would create.

Art is a powerful and valuable tool for looking at social issues, and this exhibit's artists chose to examine challenges around entitlement via their unique mediums, techniques, and place in life. The result is shared with visitors to the gallery space at York's Marketview Arts, part of York College of Pennsylvania's Center for Community Engagement.

In addition to collaborative works, exhibit guests will see individual sample art from each contributor. We hope you join Reagan Bitler, Ophelia Chambliss, Jeannine Dabb, Kristin Kest, Nicole Osborne, Andrew Smith, and Debbie Toluba in considering our continuing role in issues revolving around the challenges for the unentitled.

The Summoning of Everyman

In the 15th Century play, The Summoning of Everyman, the Everyman character — representing humankind — tries in vain to get others to travel through life's journey by his side. In the end, he learns that he must take this voyage alone.

Some of us are in positions in life that come with supports and inherent systems that aid our journey through life. Others, however, are placed in a tier of those that society has deemed unentitled to companionship, the ability to move forward, and the capacity to discover self-improvement. Their journey is one of disappointment and loneliness.

Artists: Nicole Osborne & Andrew Smith

Sabotage

Art can be behind obstacles for some: lack of access to meaningful arts experiences is an entrenched part of poverty.

In Sabotage, a work by Kristin Kest and Andrew Smith, gallery visitors are asked to place one or more clay tiles into a smaller display area to represent those with significant barriers to participation in the arts. Adding or removing tiles in the larger central region as they wish, they may note that the systems to create fair, equitable arts access are uneven and broken — sometimes with intent.

*“Clay & Play I* and Clay & Play II” 2023 © Ophelia Chambliss & Andrew Smith

Clay & Play I and II

The Clay & Play artworks begin with a clay monoprint — clay slip clinging to pellon — which then is transformed with a second layer, this time of acrylic paint guided by a second artist. The top level of play was a series of continuous lines filled with non-contiguous color in the most random yet consistent pattern.

It's way too common in our societies for a less dominant (or unentitled) class to be forced to mold itself onto and into the seams and structures built by the majority or more established group.

Race, gender, age, orientation, and so on are all layers of our larger communities and can be challenging to traverse. Like the art mediums in collaborative art, a prosperous society is best achieved when we celebrate and understand our valued differences and unifying attributes.

Artists: Ophelia Chambliss & Andrew Smith
Medium: Acrylic Paint & Clay Monoprint on Pellon

Redlined
by Andrew Smith
Clay Monoprint, Slip, Copper Mica, LEDs, Copper Wire, Red Tape, Copper Foil, & 9 Volt Battery on Wood Panel

Each of the seven artists created a 12" x 12" tile touching on the shared unentitled theme, utilizing the color of copper to tie the individual artworks together cohesively.

Redlining has had a tremendous negative impact on our communities, the consequences of which can still be seen. In my tile, shown above, a clay monoprint serves as the circuit board, with some areas created with a copper-colored mica in addition to the clay slip. Copper wire is purposely cut heading into the redlined area, removing any potential benefits afforded to the rest of the board.

LEDs are active on the left but are nonfunctional within the redlined area.

unentitled
August 19th - October 21st, 2023
Curator: Ivy Rodgers

Marketview Arts
37 W. Philadelphia St.
York, Pennsylvania

All works copyright the artists and/or Andrew T. Smith

Andrew Smith 1/4/23 Andrew Smith 1/4/23

The Matrix — The Diary of a Clay Monoprint Artist

The clay slab that a clay monoprint artist designs on gradually becomes a diary of their work.

The clay monoprint artist designs their work on a slab of clay known as the matrix, shown here.

I'm a visual artist creating clay monoprints — a unique art form where prints are made but using colored clay rather than ink or paints. The clay designs are "pulled" (transferred) to the material with a very thin layer of clay adhering.

The workspace is a clay slab (the matrix) upon which the artwork is designed using clay slips — clay with water added to create a workable thickness generally slightly thicker than house paint. Finally, pigment is added to make the color the artist is looking for.

The clay monoprint artist can paint the design directly onto the matrix, or as an alternative, onto blank newsprint paper. Then, after drying slightly, the newsprint is placed upside on the matrix, and pressure is applied to transfer it to the matrix. You can learn more in a previous article available here.

When the artist is happy with the print, the material for the artwork (Pellon, Reemay, etc.) is placed on the matrix, and pressure is utilized to transfer some of the clay slip to create the artwork. After "pulling" (transferring) a print, some of the clay slip and its design stay behind on the matrix.

Rather than starting anew, the following work is designed on top of the previous; when prints are pulled, old design elements (or small pieces) will randomly appear on the print pulled. Thus, while artists greatly influence clay monoprints, they never have complete control. This is why a large portion of these works are abstract in nature.

Each new print leaves a very thin layer of each design on the clay matrix, creating a diary of the artists' works — that will share literal memories moving forward.

Shown are several common tools of the clay monoprint artist.

Items shown:

1) Clay slip with yellow pigment added.
2) Dried clay chips can be used on the matrix for small detail.
3) Painter's tape used for creating on-the-spot stencils.
4) Pastry roller used to apply pressure when pulling a print.

Look for future clay monoprints here:

https://www.visualrealia.com
https://www.instagram.com/visualrealia
https://www.facebook.com/VisualRealiaStudio