Ken Smith - Artist Statement

I am an improvisational artist that explores the use of bright and contrasting colors in abstract space using fabric and thread as my mediums. I’m driven to constantly create art as stress relief and a diversion from my very stressful and demanding job in the Information Technology profession.

My art is generally created from a base idea that I have in my head and it evolves as it is being converted into the physical world. The evolution of a piece is sometimes influenced by what is happening in the world news and/or just how I am feeling at the time.

Some of my pieces are created by just sewing random fabric scraps together and just letting the piece evolve. I call this process SST (Slapping Sh*t Together). One of my favorite pieces is called “Love & Loss” which was created using the SST process. I would estimate that this piece took me over 50 hours to complete.

Currently I tend to create pieces on the smaller side because the larger pieces take so much time and energy to create, which can make them difficult to bring to completion.

I am influenced by the artists Wassily Kandinsky, Bridget Riley, Kenneth Noland, and Sonia Delaunay. My art is also influenced by Modern as well as Brutal Architecture and the symmetry that occurs in nature.