Stuart Smith

Stuart makes drawings and printing plates outside in remote rural sites. Frequently returning to the same places, he forges a close familiarity with each particular location. Physical elements of the landscape are used as part of the process and often as the medium for the work. He draws with pigment extracted from earth and makes stains and dyes from wild plants. Mud and organic plant material are stuck to the paper or printing plate. Sticks and stones are used to scratch and incise the surface. This use of natural, native materials to create the work helps to establish a direct physical and empathetic relationship with his environment. In his working practice he aims to stay true to a philosophy of minimal intervention, conscious of the impact his activity may have on the environment. The imagery is developed as a consequence of this sensitive interaction with natural elements. It is also determined by an instinctive and spontaneous response to variations in weather and light, and to seasonal temporality: the transience of nature. His work is an expression of his direct experience of being in these places. Not only is it specific to place but also strictly specific to time. Stuart studied for his BA degree Fine Art at The University of Hertfordshire before graduating from Camberwell College of Arts, London with an MA in Fine Art Printmaking.