Painter Robin Smith is returning to Lincoln with a new exhibition October 5-28 at WallSpace-LNK. “Still Life and Landscapes” features forty works. In some, common objects and materials are juxtaposed in intriguing ways that bring the “still” things to life. Powerful scenes and skies from Nebraska’s Pine Ridge landscape offer a compelling, different view of Smith’s painting prowess.
A First Friday reception for the artist is on October 6 from 5-8 p.m. at the gallery.
The still life works are part of a series “connected by motif,” Smith notes. “Currently I employ medium sized canvasses (40 x 30 inches) with objects in the middle of the picture plane on a table.” His scenic views reflect a lifetime of personal experience. “Growing up on Cape Cod gave me a sense of the vastness of the landscape. The influence of the light and landscape is exacerbated by my surroundings in Western Nebraska.”
A former Chadron State College faculty member, Smith studied painting at the Skowhegan School and the University of Massachusetts before studying in the MFA program at UN-L. He went on to earn a doctorate in visual ethnography from Arizona State. He also plays a mean banjo.
Robin Smith’s work has been shown at the Nelson-Atkins Museum in Kansas City, the Museum of Nebraska Art in Kearney, the Sheldon Museum of Art and other regional museums and galleries. His paintings are part of many private collections and are held by MONA and Sheldon.
The paintings are available for viewing and purchase Thursday-Saturday, 12-5 or by appointment by emailing dr_robinsmith@hotmail.com.
