/Catherine Smith
@Catesmith.art
Catherine Smith
Stoneware bowl
fired stoneware
9 1/2″ diameter
2024
I started learning to throw three years ago. It is a continual learning process which I thoroughly enjoy. This is one of the largest bowls I have thrown and, though it is kind of wonky, one of my favorites.
Catesmith.art
Catherine Smith
Whale Project #9
Inspired by: Evelyn Rydz, Gulf Pile
upcycled plastic, wood
30″ x 26″
2022
The Whale Project started in response to the now all-too-common sight of a dead whale washed up on shore with a belly full of plastic. As one of many who have been horrified by this sight, I decided to try to eliminate plastic from my life as well as save and make art out of that plastic I could not avoid buying. I saved one year’s worth of plastic and have made ten pieces in the last six years from that refuse. I feel a kinship to the work by Evelyn Rydz, Gulf Pile, who brings attention to plastic pollution on our beaches and the harm it does to the environment.
@Catherine Smith
Catherine Smith
Portrait of Jen: The Rocky Road to Enlightenment
Stoneware, wood base
16.5” x 15” x 8”
2023
I am a lover of flowers and the single white peony is one of my favorites. This image is of a peony that belonged to a recently deceased friend and I painted it to celebrate her love of this flower. The Chinese bird and flower painting genre is one that I have worked in for a very long time. I am now an ancient being and continue to do what I love, cooking good food and painting in the Chinese style.
Catesmith.art
Catherine Smith
Self-portrait in a Corset and Puffy Sleeves
archival print on paper
8 x 10 inches
2022
I have collected photographs for years, mostly old images of women in pants, before it became acceptable for us to wear these garments in public. I am always looking for examples of uncomfortable clothing and just found this from one the late 1890’s recently. The woman’s faint smile may have been genuine but I can only look at this image and feel pain. With a little help from photoshop, it has because a self-portrait.
Catesmithart
Catherine Smith
Porcelain Big Mac
Inspired by: Matt Siber, McDonalds
porcelain
8″ x 10″ x 4″
2024
Chinese culture gave the world porcelain. American culture gave the world the Big Mac. Matt Siber’s manipulated photograph of a so familiar McDonald’s sign, which appears to be floating in a radiant blue sky, critiques by asking the viewer to consume the graphics without the allure offered by hyper-yummy, corporately engineered, fast food. Whether we are employees, customers or critics, few of us have escaped internalizing multiple opinions about the company that employs the second-largest private workforce in the world. This piece is a reminder that we love and elevate so many things that are not so good for us.
@Catesmith.art
Dread Running
installation view
Dread Running
installation view
