We come into contact with dozens of people on a daily basis, catch their eyes for a brief moment and move on, never knowing the intricate accumulation of experience that forms their reality.  My work is about that moment - hinting at a narrative, yet remaining intentionally elusive. 

     A lot of my paintings are done in egg tempera.  Working on a true gesso panel, I alternate brush strokes of thicker paint with washes of pure translucent color.  I build up hundreds of layers in this manner, until the end result has a luminous, ethereal quality. Although labor intensive, it is a technique that I think enhances the slightly surreal sensibility of my work.  As for imagery, I rarely have a fully formed concept in mind when I begin a painting.  Instead, I start out with a face or pose that intrigues me; then once I am caught up in the physical execution of the piece, other elements of the composition suggest themselves.     

                                                                                   Mavis Smith, 2011