Cary Smith

“Smith’s paintings are made out of happy sunshine. It’s a sunshine that carves the world into clearly divided shapes; it enhances colors; it simplifies and creates a lightness of spirit. The perfectionism of Ellsworth Kelly, whose work evokes expanses of cut grass and white skies, comes to mind.” Matthew Weinstein, Artnews

 

Cary Smith’s hard-edged, abstract paintings find their individual character from highly intuitive color interactions, boldly direct paint application, and hand-painted precision. Smith's paintings are made freehand with a variety of small sable brushes without the use of tape to mask the edges of the areas of color. His surfaces are delicate and warm which stand in contrast to the graphic, geometric compositions and allow them to convey both conceptual and emotional content. His bold colors work much the same way. Smith hones color with exactitude: working and reworking until he develops accurate color chords. This precision creates an energy that is highly experiential and like the paintings as a whole creates a believable space that is familiar yet completely new to the eye.

Cary Smith was born in 1955 in Puerto Rico. He lives and works in Connecticut. Smith has had numerous solo shows. His most recent was at the Aldrich Museum, Ridgefield, Ct. His group exhibitions include “The Jewel Thief” curated by Ian Berry and Jessica Stockholder at Tang Teaching Museum, “The Geometric Tradition in American Art” at Whitney Museum of American Art and “1989 Biennial Exhibition” at Whitney Museum of American Art.