Border Artists "Intense Dialogue"
Unsettled Gallery
Opening Reception October 28 — 5 to 8pm
Closes October 2, 2010
My work is also at Cutter Gallery
2640 El Paseo Rd,
Las Cruces, NM
throughout the year.
Artist's Statement
“My background as a goldsmith has definitely influenced my paintings with metal-like surfaces and shimmering colors reminiscent of opals and other gems. And, my gold work has evolved to repeat the rounded shapes of the ancient man-made and natural subjects in my paintings. Most recently, I have returned to enameling which interconnects my paintings and jewelry even more than before.”
Artist Bio
Jo-an Smith was awarded the Dona Ana Arts Council's Papen Family Award in May of 2008. She was included in a show at the Mexican Consulate in El Paso, TX (Border Artists) in June and July of 2008. Two of Jo-an's paintings are included in the notecard collection for Jardin de los Ninos 2008.
Jo-an Smith has been creating unusual one-of-a-kind jewelry since 1976. She introduced her water colors and oil paintings at her one-woman show, “Ancient Space,” in 1996. Smith holds both a BA and MA in art and has studied painting with Aleksander Titovets, Cheng Khee Chee, and Stephen Quiller. She has been listed in “Who's Who in American Art” since 1976 and is a Distinguished Member of the Society of North American Goldsmiths. Recently she was invited for inclusion in the 25th Edition of “Who's Who of American Women.” From 1994 through 2003 she was Chairman of the Las Cruces, NM ARTSHOP.
Smith was born and grew up in the Pacific Northwest. As an adult she lived and studied in Alaska, Argentina, El Salvador, and Panama before settling in Las Cruces in 1972. Her jewelry and paintings are on exhibit regularly at Glenn Cutter Jewelers and Gallery in Las Cruces, NM.