Nelson Smith at District

Nelson Smith kicks off the last show of the year at District Arts (up until Dec 31st). Smith's canvases are more than just paint on panels...they are cut outs with circuit boards, moving balls, nuts and bolts, and many other miscellaneous parts that work within the flat surface. Small square paintings along the hall labeled as self portraits have no figure reference but use common domestic objects as imagery to represent the maker. I enjoyed the cut outs and ideas going on between and beneath the painted surface but I found the actual painting difficult to look at: a bit decorative/illustrative for my taste.



I really enjoyed small pieces of the painting that blend construction (nuts and bolts) with realism.



But unfortunately looking at a stump of a tree breaking away into saucers is hard to get into. I love the cut out ball that sits at the bottom of the painting. I think I would much rather look at a white panel with ball cut out than a busy painting that is trying too hard to say something. That's just it...it feels like too much information.

This is a detail shot of the painting below...less is more?