Smith is inspired by the complex relationships of systems and patterns that control and dictate the world in which we live. Using traditional and non-traditional printmaking techniques, he begins by creating original prints on paper. He cuts the paper into strips of various sizes, then painstakingly overlaps and weaves the strips into intricate compositions.
Jonpaul on his work:
“I weave these de-constructed images into organized, open-narrative works enabling the viewers to create their own visual and narrative experience as they navigate through the juxtapositions of surface and color,” says Smith. “I choose not to provide a focal point because I want to the viewers’ eye to be constantly moving. Every visual path is unique with the eye moving slower or faster through intersections depending on the size of the strips, the colors, and the scale of the piece. When standing close to a work, minute details are revealed. But from a distance, the viewer may see simply a system of related colors in gridlock. Hence, one’s perspective shifts from ‘microcosmic to macro-cosmic.”