My newest piece, which I completed before my hip surgery on March 13, is a mixed-media using a combination of oil painted wood pallets, dried cholla cactus, cork and copper.  I titled it: “Transformation,” as it symbolizes both the “bones” of the cactus and my hip bones, the sinuous muscle fibers of my thigh, and the symbolic curved shape of a cross as its support and strength.  The finished work is approximately 14″ x 28″ and hangs in my daughter’s bedroom.  She was suffering from a broken ankle at the time, so we were definitely in tune with each other.  

I haven’t done any work since this piece, as I have been concentrating on healing and moving up here to Spokane, WA from AZ.  We are settled in now and hopefully getting into our summer projects. 

Hope that I am able to make ZOOM work for me this time.  Fingers crossed!

Since I am a multi-media artist, my pieces vary quite a bit.  I find joy in variety, and create both fine art in oil and mixed-media, and cartoon style art for cards and items for children.  (See art in shared art section.) The children’s table and stools is my newest art was done for a fundraising auction for Rockwood Retirement Community here in Spokane, WA.)

A bit of my history: I graduated from Michigan State University, and taught art for several years.  I ventured into the commercial world of interior design, creating many murals mainly in children’s bedrooms.  I was a freelance artist and did illustrations and cartooning for newspapers.  I also continued doing fine art, and my paintings and mixed-media have been featured in galleries, businesses, municipal buildings and private collections, often accompanied by my poetry. It was pure joy to be a part of ECVA for many years.

Claudia is a busy, productive artist who exhibits her work in Washington and Idaho.  

CREATION SERIES

Here is a selection of images and a poem from Claudia Smith’s Creation Series.  It is her favorite theme that she has been adding to many years. 

I Am The Stone

When I was a child,
a stone was just something to 
kick, throw, skip,
across the smooth surface of a lake. 

My innocence and ignorance 
ignored its uniqueness, 
its supreme importance. 

As I grew older,
I learned that
it is composed of infinitesimal atoms;
mighty forces had formed it over eons;
some had been a form of life;
it was and is the essence of civilization. 

Only now, do I understand,
 how it embodies 
the indispensable premise of
the Oneness of God’s Creation:

If I destroy the stone,
or use it unwisely,
I ultimately destroy myself as well . . . 

I am the stone.

—CLAUDIA SMITH

Below are four examples from a recent Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, exhibit:  a 24 x 36 oil with copper wire attached; and two mixed-media with lots of varied media piled on.  The fourth one with the distant river view is actually part of the vineyard.  

With Easter fast approaching, I would like to share an oil painting that I did a year ago in celebration of Easter, titled: Resurrection – The Way, which now resides in St. John The Evangelist Cathedral in Spokane Washington. During the intervening months, I did additional work on it, adding more layers and the cross at the top.   

The frame that it’s in was a gift from a fellow church member.  It’s very elaborate, but I think fitting.  I’m submitting it in the frame, and with it cropped out to better view it in its simplicity.  

“Peacemaker” was published for ECVA’s Call to Artists’ “Justice & Peace” 2010. 

“Mystic Flight” was never submitted.  I offer them together because of their similar theme: the circle of life and peace and understanding of our fellow creatures–both human and animal. 

MYSTIC FLIGHT

“I want to run on your legs,” said hawk,
“And feel the beat of earth beneath my hooves.”

“I want to soar with your wings,” said horse,

“And view the earth from high up in the sky.”
And so they did . . .

“I found the ground of interest,” said hawk,
“But much prefer the air beneath my wings.”

“I found the height extremely rare,” said horse,
“But much prefer the ground beneath my feet.”

And so they did . . .

“Because I ran in your shoes,” said hawk,
“I understand uniqueness even more.”

“Because I saw with your eyes,” said horse,
“I can respect a different point of view.”

And so they did.

Here is a picture of the full oil painting: “Windswept Majesty.”
The publishers, Forward Movement, cut it down in size for the cover of their 2024 Advent book, but I think they did a nice job with it. I love the font they used for the title.—Claudia

Both my painting and poem were created almost simultaneously: a stroke of the paintbrush and a stroke of the pen.  I have had offers to buy it, but I have been reluctant to let it go.  I did produce a “Dreams Have No Color II,” which I submitted to ECVA in 2019 for its Universal Christ—Call to Artists.  In addition, its image was used by The Society of the Companions of the Holy Cross in 2020 for its 124th annual gathering invitation.  Eventually, I did sell the second version.  

Although this is an older painting and accompanying poem, they are a strong reflection of me as an artist.  — Claudia

Dreams Have No Color
By Claudia Smith

She keeps her dreams tucked deep inside a secret private place;
Their sweetness lies there waiting to wrap around her
Like the fragrance of spring honeysuckle.
Her dreams have changed over the years;
As her body ripened so did they: from dolls and dresses
with yellowed lace, to wishes so special, they hurt.
She tries to keep them in neat white piles,
Like her mother’s linens; but like hollyhocks along a fence,
They blossom in rainbow profusion and disarray.
When the week has been razor-sharp and too heavy to carry,
She lets them whisper in her ear; their breath is warm 
Against her cheek, making her chest ache with wanting.
It suits her best to dwell on them at night against her pillow;
The darkness and the measured beat of her sister’s sleep
Make them more believable.
Plucking each one as if it were a ripe berry 
Whose juice stains her fingertips,
She savors them until her eyes tear.
She wonders if “dreams-come-true” only happens to girls
Who have fair skin and wear expensive shoes;
Her throat is tight from daring to dream with 
Calloused bare feet, against rough sheets. 

I Love Critters was donated to Rockwood Retirement Community for their annual fundraising auction..  

CREATION SERIES