Leslie Plato Smith
Artist Website

She

cone 6 oxidation, underglazes

18" x 12" x 10"
2015

$500

What is “She” feeling? Bold shapes of color and strong texture enhance the form, but more importantly expose the figure’s character. I use gesture, posturing, and disproportionate size to focus on her inner emotions, to bring both power and vulnerability to the sculpture. Interested in the human condition, I try to invoke an intuitive response from the viewer; I hope the viewer brings their experiences and emotions to the conversation before turning to a refined, analytical assessment. To best accomplish these goals, I choose not to work from drawings, but rather go directly to the 3D form to capture my vision.

My mother was a Bay Area Figurative artist; it continues to influence my esthetics. Having spent much of my career as Associate Vice-Chancellor of Governmental Relations for City College of San Francisco, my work is never far from bringing the political into the art world; bringing the obligation of being human into the conversation.