Hey there!

I am an artist living in the mountains near Sun Valley, Idaho, USA. 

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Growing up in Germany, I earned my Bachelor of Fine Art in post-modern art and experimental theatre at the University of Giessen. Upon my move to the USA, I studied painting and performance art at the University of Texas in Dallas, where I performed with Fred Curchak in Art-O-Rama at the Dallas Museum of Art.

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I earned my Master of Fine Arts degree at the University of Montana, after which I became a Theatre Director and Sailor in Boston, Artistic Director on Kauai, Event Planner in San Francisco, and a Ski Instructor in Sun Valley.

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You can also follow me on Instagram and Facebook by clicking the links below. Thank you!! 

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Be creative - Be love

 - Nani

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Artist statement, August 2021 - Nani Smith

 

Passion_ Expression_Truth

 

In my abstract works, I want to invoke a resonance with a deeper soul truth and to inspire new ways to see and feel our existence. I tap into the spirit of the chosen image and my paintings then reveal themselves, as if searching for their own truth. 

 

I play with colors and textures, often creating several layers of acrylic paint by scraping, brushing, watering, and sometimes adding textures such as ground coffee, packing paper, pebbles, gold dust and mylar thermal blankets. My brushstrokes can flow like a gentle brook, or explode like a supernova, as I seek a balance between representation and abstraction. 

 

My inspiration comes from images, such as the recent NASA Mars photography,  breathtaking Idaho sunsets, or my memories of living aboard a sail ship in Boston Harbor.

 

After completion, I search for poetry to accompany the paintings to capture and unlock a deeper experience.

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