Rachel Huff Smith Fine Art

Circumvolve: Narratives and Responses to Life Cycles

Birth, growth, and death are universal realities. In our busy lives, the personal depth of these experiences is rarely considered. My work recognizes the pain and joy of life cycles in my familial relationships—both as a solo endeavor and a collaborative community project.

Cycles and seasons of life are evident in the transitory connections we experience together – whether those connections last generations or exist in a glance of recognition. This painting series portrays the personal narrative of my experience of simultaneously being a new mother and grieving the death of my mother and grandmother. The figures have realistic and abstract elements which reflect the distortion of memory, grief, longing, and the remnant of joy.

In this creative endeavor, I investigate the questions:  What is the truth of our connection? How are we connected despite absence? Does connection remain regardless of a person’s presence or their ability to receive and reciprocate? How do I experience and express the love I have when the beloved is gone? These questions and responses are dictated by my personal experience, and I invited the public to engage in considering their experience creatively.

The result of the community collaborative project is a large-scale painting (32”x80”) where MOCA’s Art Walk visitors and Jacksonville’s community were invited to participate and help create. Participants made marks responding to what they were willing to share and release. In this process, I become a catalyst. As we address our individual responses to these universal realities, we find shared truth even in disparate circumstances.

Sharing personal stories and participating in the creative process helps our community to discover that restoration and empowerment can be achieved. By exploring universal events I hope to find release and help elevate the experience of others.

It was a great honor to be chosen as the Fall 2017 student Artist-in-Residence at the Museum of Contemporary Art Jacksonville. I produced a painting series for exhibition on the 5th floor from December 2017 - April 2018. The exhibition title is Circumvolve: Narratives and Responses to Life Cycles.