Shelby K. Smith

Artist Statement

Theme name: “FIVE”

This body of work explores the relationship between geometry and movement through five distinct approaches to abstraction. While each piece employs a different material or visual language — from metallic trim and textured fabrics to hand-wrapped thread and layered panels — they are united by a common investigation of structure, rhythm, and precision.

Geometry serves as both the foundation and the framework of my practice. Using measured forms and carefully balanced compositions, I create work that feels simultaneously ordered and dynamic. Curves, circles, and angular forms interact to suggest movement, depth, and visual tension, transforming simple geometric elements into compositions that feel alive.

Although the works span painting, layered construction, and fiber, they share a common intention: to reveal how repetition, precision, and thoughtful design can create moments of surprise and delight. Together, these pieces celebrate the beauty that emerges when mathematics meets intuition, inviting viewers to slow down, discover shifting relationships between form and space, and experience geometry as something expressive rather than rigid.