ARTISTS STATEMENT
My subjects are the people and moments that have most impacted my life.
My paintings are memories – through the process of painting, I try to recapture the feelings I had in the moment, and bring that sense of nostalgia to life on the canvas.
Although as the artist I am largely an observer, I become a participant in the action as my emotion and recollection colors the memory.
My favorite subject is my nephew Keigan – he is the first person whose life I have witnessed from the very beginning.
I paint him because I want to show him that he is appreciated and that I am invested in his life and his future.
Shiloh Smith (b. Evanston, IL in 1998) is a contemporary painter, trained at the Savannah College of Art & Design and based in Chicago, Illinois. He is known for his portrayals of everyday life, both in Chicago and in Jamaica, where his family originated, and for the penetrating gazes of his subjects. Being the fourth of five children, Smith spent a lot of his time observing and learning from his family. Growing up, having a close family provided a strong influence for Smith's work. Being able to experience the life and growth of others near him, intrigues the artist.
Working from an archive of family photographs over the years, his work meditates on the meaning of life, investigating both himself, the notion of family, memory and the people he is surrounded by.
Whether it be the coiling of a fine line to create noise, or the weight that a dense mark will create, every mark excites the young artist. Working with transparency to help hide and guide the viewer to different elements in a piece. Often incorporating a relative unfinished quality, the paintings force one to imagine context and environment.
