Appreciating the simple things in life: that is the theme Goulburn artist Di Smith will explore in her exhibition ‘Need More Paint’ at the Goulburn Club.
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But this wasn’t always the matter on the artist’s mind. In 1985, Smith worked as a biological laboratory technician who found herself constantly drawing on her papers.
She knew she had to focus on art again, but it was the movie Dead Poet’s Society (1989) that gave her an unexpected final push to change her career.
“It was Robin Williams, he made me do this,” Smith said with a laugh as she walked through the second floor of the Goulburn Club. The open space, old-fashioned decor and antique couches will house her works for the next three months.
“Too often people miss the little things. The colours that beam through your window at sunrise. The chooks on your kitchen table. The greenery of your garden,” she said.
“I’m asking this question because people need to spend more time appreciating the simplicity of life.”
After deciding to become an artist, Smith went to university and taught art at Wee Waa and Goulburn High. Seven years ago, continuing her inspirational journey, she planned a large trip and travelled to England, Ireland, France, Egypt, Bali.
“I wanted to go out and see the world, go and see what I was teaching the children,” she said.
Her exhibition, a mesh of fiction and reality, is showered in colour, imagery and precision in an attempt to highlight the multiple layers associated with our view on reality.
“There’s a lot of themes I want to explore through my work. How people assimilate with culture or choose to break away from it,” she said.
“There is also the question of energy. My work explores the web of energy, the link between us all. The spirit, soul and energy of the world’s life force is what these paintings explore and encourage us to question.”
Influenced by history, people, rituals and narrative, Smith has won awards, grants and recognition for her previous works.
The opening of ‘Need More Paint’ is September 30 at 5pm and will feature a live performance. The exhibition will be open until December. All the pieces on display are for sale.
For more information on the exhibition, call Di Smith on 0404 755 163.