The Artist/Ukulele Player

Artist Statements

Musically….

Quite recently, my artistic expression has expanded to include a musical dimension in the form of the ukulele and my voice.  It was a joy  to play and sing songs for my elderly mom as she sang along…this was my motivation to learn.

I am compiling a repertoire of songs which I play for seniors in memory care and assisted living environments at retirement residences. My specialty is songs from decades past that the seniors always remember and love to sing along. Please contact me for more information or if you know a senior who could benefit from song.

Artistically….

The art I make could range in form from the complex re-working of a piece of elaborately framed ‘sofa art’ to hanging a battered old school bell from my garden shed. I never know where my ideas and expression will take me.

Observation, discovery, possession, restoration, transformation, commemoration and preservation are all processes in the creation of my art. Memory, emotion and sensory experience is ephemeral but the sources of these, the objects with which we live, can seem, mistakenly, seductively eternal. Their tangible solidity, weight, presence and substance allow us to indulge in a reassuring illusion of permanence in an existence which is impermanent, fleeting and tenuous.

In my art I create alternative, archival existences for collected, lost, discarded or treasured images and objects. These images and objects are intrinsically connected to human experiences, memories and moments of insight. The artworks created from these materials and objects become concrete manifestations and mementos of intransigent, personal memories and instances of revelation.

The essence of my work springs from  our instinct as human beings to commemorate, celebrate or sometimes bemoan our passage through this life. This instinct is manifested in complex behaviours (sometimes spiritual or religious) which we adopt to cope with the reality of change and the fact of impermanence. My response to this instinct and these behaviours is to make art that explores and utilizes connections between found objects, materials and diverse media.

 

Artist Bio: Frank Smith

  • Founder, Owner and Teacher, The Studio, Mount Albert, Ontario (since 98)
  • Visual Arts Teacher and Department Head: Etobicoke and York Region District School Boards (since 77)
  • Co-Director, York Region District School Board Arts Camp (since 87)

2007

  • Portraits, Group Exhibition, Georgina Arts Centre, Sutton West, Ontario

2006

  • “To Be”, Two Person Show (with Deborah Colvin), Latcham Gallery, Stouffville, Ontario

2003

  • “Water”, Curated Group Exhibition, Latcham Gallery, Stouffville, Ontario
  • Juried Exhibition, Latcham Gallery, Stouffville, Ontario
  • Juror, 36th Annual Juried Exhbition of the Society of Canadian Artists

2002

  • “Looking Through the Mirror”, Juried Exhibition, F.H.Varley Art Gallery of Markham, Unionville, Ont.
  • Society of Canadian Artists Juried Exhibition, John B. Aird Gallery, Toronto
  • Juried Exhibition, F.H. Varley Art Gallery of Markham, Unionville, Ontario
  • Society of Canadian Artists, Juried Members Exhibition, Roselawn Gallery, Port Colborne, Ontario
  • Juried Exhibition, Visual Arts Centre of Clarington, Bowmanville, Ontario
  • Selected Artist, York Region Newspaper Group, Celebration of the Arts, Markham Hilton Suites

2001

  • Juried Drawing Exhibition, The Eye and the Hand, Etobicoke Civic Centre Art Gallery, Toronto
  • Juried Exhibition, Latcham Gallery, Stouffville, Ontario
  • Society of Canadian Artists Juried Exhibition “Art on the Edge”, John B. Aird Gallery, Toronto *Recipient of Juror’s Award
  • East Gwillimbury Artists Studio Tour
  • Society of Canadian Artists, New Members Exhibition, John B. Aird Gallery, Toronto

2000

  • Annual Auction, F.H. Varley Art Gallery of Markham, Ontario
  • Juried Exhibition, Latcham Gallery, Stouffville, Ontario*Recipient of Juror’s Award
  • East Gwillimbury Artists Studio Tour

1999

  • Celtic Reflections Project, Markham, Ontario
  • Juried Exhibition, Latcham Gallery, Stouffville, Ontario
  • Juried Exhibition, F.H. Varley Art Gallery of Markham
  • East Gwillimbury Studio Tour
  • Annual Auction, Latcham Gallery, Vandorf, Ontario
  • Shaw Cable, Featured Artist on “Artfile”
  • Small Wonders Exhibition, Kathleen Gormley-McKay Art Centre, Unionville, Ontario

1998

  • Juried Exhibition, F. H. Varley Art Gallery of Markham, Unionville, Ontario*Recipient of Juror’s Award of Merit
  • East Gwillimbury Studio Tour
  • Benchmark Project, Markham, Ontario
  • Benchmark Artist’s Exhibition, Gormley-McKay Gallery, Unionville, Ontario
  • Small Wonders Exhibition, Kathleen Gormley-McKay Art Centre, Unionville, Ontario

1997

  • Xcavations Group Exhibition, Contact ’97, Dufferin Mall Exhibition Site, Toronto, Ontario
  • Ten Boxes Group Exhibition, Angell Gallery, Queen Street, Toronto, Ontario
  • Juried Exhibition, F. H. Varley Art Gallery of Markham, Unionville, Ontario*Recipient of Juror’s Award of Merit
  • Benchmark Artist’s Exhibition, Gormley-McKay Gallery, Unionville, Ontario
  • Small Wonders Exhibition, Kathleen Gormley-McKay Art Centre, Unionville, Ontario

1996

  • Erotica Exhibition, Lasting Impressions Gallery, Newmarket, Ontario
  • Juried Exhibition, Latcham Gallery, Stouffville, Ontario
  • World Aids Day Exhibition, McMichael Gallery, Kleinburg, Ontario
  • Juried Miniature Exhibition, Kathleen Gormley-McKay Art Centre, Unionville, Ontario

1990s

  • Member, Absolutely Apposed Art Studio, Aurora, Ontario (96-98)
  • Founder, Owner and Teacher, ArtFun and Fantasy Daycamp (97-2000)
  • Founder and Teacher of Art Classes at the Studio (1998-present)

pre-1990

  • Watercolour Painting Studies, Seneca College, King Campus, Ontario (80)
  • Photography Studies, Ontario College of Art, Toronto, Ontario (78)
  • B.Ed. Specialising in Visual Arts, University of Toronto (77)
  • Guest Student, Royal Academy Schools, London, England (71-73)
  • B.A. Honours in Fine Arts, York University, North York, Ontario (72)