Introducing Jonpaul Smith
WORKING ARTIST PROGRAM
MAY – OCTOBER, 2014

We are excited to welcome Jonpaul Smith

 as Tiger Lily’s next Working Artist Program resident! 

Jonpaul came to us a year or two ago.  He was building his career as a working artist and was looking for a community of like-minded people to connect with.  He jumped right in and offered to help with the Ohio Print Gathering, hanging our exhibitions, and has taught two relief classes, the second of which just finished up last week. He has impressed us with his diligent work ethic and his attention to professionalism as an artist.  

Jonpaul has a wonderful studio at his home, but we wanted to see what he could come up with if we got him printing at Tiger Lily. We’re sure you’ll be inspired by the creative ways he addresses our medium.  Jonpaul’s proposal to launch his residency is ” to explore the overlooked objects of daily life, drawing attention to the beauty of the ordinary.”  He cites John Audubon and Charles Darwin’s methods of documentation as the inspiration for how he hopes to collect, catalog and study the objects.  

Jonpaul Smith received his MFA and Graduate Certificate in Museum Studies from the University of Cincinnati and his BA from Hanover College.  He studied at the University of Wollongong in Australia, and participated in artist residencies at the Hungarian Multicultural Center and the A.I.R. Studio Paducah.  He has a solo show scheduled at the Fitton Center for Creative Arts later this year, to add to his impressive resume of exhibitions, publications, permanent collections, and catalogs.

Members are invited to come work alongside him on Thursdays through October.

For more info on Jonpaul Smith visit:
www.jonpaulcsmith.com

 Artist Statement 

I am interested in the complex relationships of systems and patterns that control and dictate the world in which we live. I approach my woven and constructed paper pieces from a variety of perspectives but common to all are the processes of disassembly and reassembly. The materials can be my original traditional and non-traditional prints, gouache paintings, smoke transfers, and the packaging of everyday household items. No matter what material I choose, the process begins with cutting the materials into strips of various sizes, then painstakingly overlapping or weaving them into meticulous, intricate compositions. Resulting in complex, tapestry-like constructs that make use of (and, in a sense, refine) pop culture imagery.