Through the Eyes of My Mother | Steve Smith

This exhibition is a tribute. Steve Smith's mother, a strong and wise Indigenous woman, taught him to look, and to truly see: to recognize the relationships between all things, to understand that all things are alive, and to honor the earth herself as sacred. His vibrant, richly detailed paintings carry those teachings forward, alive with owls, cranes, loons, dragonflies, and butterflies gathered in natural harmony. In many works, his mother appears as the Eagle, honoring her tribal clan and the truth that anchors his practice: that we are all related. Smith paints less by plan than by discovery.  He describes his process as an intuitive conversation between the artist, the canvas, and the Spirits — culminating in works that are at once grounded in the living world and reach beyond it.  They also represent a call to preserve the natural world, sacred places, and the ancient ways of Indigenous Nations. This exhibition follows Steve Smith's recent solo show of paintings at the Phipps Center for the Arts in Hudson, WI.  Alongside the paintings, 'Through the Eyes of My Mother' includes a collection of very personal, introspective if not autobiographical sketches, born of a remarkable daily drawing practice.

About the Artist:
Steve Smith is a St. Paul–based artist  — and resident artist at ArT @ 967 Payne  —  whose life and work are rooted in careful observation, relationships, memory, spirit, and connection to the living world. He completed his BFA at the University of Minnesota in 1980, taught art at Red School House, an alternative school grounded in North American Indigenous culture.  He went on to integrate the creative arts with psychotherapy, completing a doctorate in clinical psychology in 1996.  He continues his practice of art and of healing today.

Gallery Hours:  
By Appointment (651) 895 6203; stephanfkistler@gmail.com