Mavis Smith moved to the Lambertville-New Hope area in 1990, after a decade in New York City, during which time she studied art and design at Pratt Institute and subsequently established a career as a popular children's book illustrator. In recent years, she has chosen to concentrate more fully on her fine art work, which has been exhibited in Europe and New York, as well as many local venues, including the Bristol Myers Squibb Gallery and the Michener Museum.
"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.
My paintings are created by applying numerous semi-transparent layers of egg tempera on a true gesso ground. 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, 2004
photo:
David DiMicco
Mavis Smith resume
The Society of Tempera Painters