Abstract Painter Creates A World Of Light And Color in Beautiful Landscapes

Artist Samantha Keely Smith’s abstract oceanic landscapes are paintings that are daunting and serene at the same time, a beautiful comparison of light and color that calls, “internal landscapes.” Using oil paint, enamel, and shellac, Smith uses an additive and subtractive process by partially destroying her work several times before completion. This cyclical process, much like the timeless crash of ocean tides against the shore, adds an additional level of texture to her work.

“My images are not at all real places or even inspired by real places. They are emotional and psychological places. Internal landscapes, if you will. The tidal pull and power of the ocean makes sense to me in terms of expressing these things, and I think that is why some of the work has a feel of water about it.” said Smith. “My work speaks of things that are timeless, and I think that for most of us the ocean represents something timeless.”

The artist is currently based in New York and is an independent painter.