About: Artist Scott Smith

BFA Ohio University MFA University of Miami, Florida

Scott Smith was raised in an industrial town in Ohio where he became fascinated with the colors of corroded metals from demolition and construction sites, as well as scrap yards. The prints he creates are based on these memories and the elements in the prints are often printed from materials found at such sites. Scott was formally trained as a master printmaker at Vinalhaven Press and Universal Limited Art Editions (ULAE), is a Signature Member of the National Collage Society and has shown his work all over the United States and Australia. Currently, Scott teaches printmaking and art history.

Industries have provided me with a tremendous amount of material for my work. The rust of metals on railroad cars and in scrap yards and the immense expanses of iron in both as well as the lake freighters that frequent Lake Erie, have been endless stimulants for my eyes. From these sources I have created my points, physically from the leftover materials, and visually by using the corroded and weathered machinery and buildings as a creative stimulant. Most recently, my prints have been silk-screen and intaglio prints, but I also use woodblocks and lithography as well. By printing on to Japanese papers I am able to collage the printed materials onto wooden assemblies creating a 3 dimensional image. The papers are also translucent allowing the color applied to the wood to come through and mix with the colors on the paper. The colors that I choose are based on photographic references from scrap yards, structures and vehicles. The images I make are visual connections between me, the materials and the process of printmaking.

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