Carrie Mae Smith

Carrie Mae Smith

featured on PLATFORM

November 13- December 11, 2024

Carrie Mae Smith

Blue Roses

October 26- November 30, 2024

LOWELL RYAN PROJECTS

4619 W Washington Blvd.

Los Angeles, CA 90016

Lowell Ryan Projects is pleased to present our second solo exhibition by Upstate New York-based artist Carrie Mae Smith. The exhibition, titled Blue Roses, features a series of still life paintings depicting a particular set of flow blue china in W.H. Grindley's Rose pattern (c. 1893). This series represents a progression in Smith's artistic practice, showcasing her evolving formal techniques while continuing her exploration of the history and significance of domestic utilitarian objects, especially culinary items.

A particular favorite of Smith’s because of its imperfect patterns and soft painterly designs, she set up various arrangements of blue flow china for her painting compositions. Atop tables in her light-filled studio, the arrangements appear almost as if the china pieces had just been placed out in preparation for setting the table for a special dinner. Serving vessels are nestled between stacks of plates and cups and saucers, forks and knives are cradled in dishes or placed as a pair on dinner plates. Most of the works are painted looking down upon the china, or at an angle from above, allowing Smith to capture the delicate patterns both on top of the plates and on the sides of the pitchers and cups. The rich blue patterns on cool white china are set against the beige tones of a warm linen tablecloth, the light from the window casting soft shadows between the dining and serving ware.

“With my still-life paintings, I aim to highlight the inherent beauty of these items, viewing the arrangements of stacked china as contemplative spaces,” Smith explains. “As I arranged the compositions and painted this series, I found myself reflecting on the family who once owned these pieces, the meals lovingly prepared and served on these dishes, the care taken to clean and store them, and the cabinet where they waited patiently for the next special occasion. My thoughts also wandered to the cultural weight these items carry and how changing lifestyles have diminished the significance of formal traditions over time.” 

While Smith’s artistic practice touches on various social and political concepts and ideas, the works in Blue Roses enable the viewer to relish in the beauty of both her painterly style and her ability to further extend the lifecycle of these elegant items. 

inquire: info@lowellryanprojects.com

Carrie Mae Smith

Four Plates and Four Forks

February 18- March 18, 2023

LOWELL RYAN PROJECTS

4619 W Washington Blvd.

Los Angeles, CA 90016

Lowell Ryan Projects is pleased to present a solo exhibition titled, Four Plates and Four Forks, by Upstate New York-based artist Carrie Mae Smith. Composed of recent small-scale paintings of various cutlery, china, cuts of meat, pastries, and domestic interior scenes softly rendered in oil paint, these works continue Smith’s exploration of domestic utilitarian objects, particularly with an interest in culinary articles and their social and historical implications. This will be Carrie Mae Smith’s first solo exhibition in Los Angeles and with the gallery.

Shape, light, color, and composition are meticulously explored in these luminous works, which are rendered in shades of blue, cream, gold, pinks, and saturated reds. These quiet paintings highlight the formal simplicity of a teacup and saucer, the abstract beauty of an uncooked lamb chop, and the exquisite sweetness of a lush square of cream sandwiched between layers of puff pastry. The daughter of a butcher, Smith supported her artistic practice early on working as a private chef. Quiet moments alone in the kitchen precipitated the contemplation of ingredients, serving ware, and culinary implements, as well as the meaning that can be associated with them. Fine china and silver have long been symbols of status, family, tradition, and history, while expensive cuts of meat and delicate pastries are not foods of the working class. As Smith’s focus has primarily shifted to her artistic practice, she continues however to contemplate the subtle meanings of these items in her work.

While savoring the act of painting, Smith’s process also references the gesture of serving. The act of serving a meal or a cup of tea now applies to family, friends, and loved ones, but through her paintings extends to the viewer as well. In the title work of the exhibition, Four Forks and Four Plates, 2022 a stack of four gold and teal-rimmed plates rest on a beige surface. Two forks are on top of the stack and two forks rest next to the plates as if waiting to be set out on the table in preparation for dinner, or possibly dessert. The soft cast of daylight reflects from the tongs of the forks and extends an almost lavender-hued shadow off the side of the china. The softness of Smith’s brushwork alludes to the effortless nature of setting down the plates and knives on the table, almost as if a second-nature movement. While the skill of Smith’s brushwork and the process of setting a table are not instinctive acts, but instead the result of years of practice, attention to detail and refinement, Carrie Mae Smith’s works allow the viewer to surrender to her process and relish in the moment of reflection and anticipation. 

inquire: info@lowellryanprojects.com