Bio

Bree Smith is a Dallas-based artist and has been working as an artist since 2015. Bree has a BFA in studio art and creates mixed media paintings, sculpture, and murals. She uses saturated pastel and neon color palettes to express her feelings about space colonization and futuristic pop culture. Her work has been collected throughout the U.S. and Canada, and she has been interviewed and featured by several publications, including The Create! Podcast, PIKCHUR Magazine, Dallas Style & Design Magazine, and ArtFolio Annual 2020. Bree’s first curatorial exhibition, “Realms of Reality” opened this summer at Deep Ellum Art Company and features all female artists.

Artist Statement

I am a multidisciplinary fine artist creating works primarily in mixed media, including fluid acrylic, gouache, watercolor, paint pens and oil pastel. Using a variety of media allows me to experiment with different techniques and textures in order to demonstrate specific feelings and auras within my compositions. My work is inspired by dreams of an intergalactic future full of hope and possibility. I seek to subvert the current climate of negativity and despair towards humanity’s future. I work to accomplish feelings of hope and inspiration by using bright, saturated colors and incorporating whimsical elements reminiscent of childhood naiveté.  

An important purpose in my work is to elevate women by depicting female astronauts in scenes where they are in control, showing strength, and sometimes humor. I like to include anachronistic details due to my interest in exploring ways that the past collides with the present and future into one continuous stream of space and time through our shared human experiences. My current series "Prismastronautica" highlights how our perspectives are shaped by many layered lenses created by our upbringing, traumas, obsessions, and inclinations.

www.breesmith.com

When did your interest in art begin vs. when you began thinking of it as a career/life choice?

My interest in art began as a very young child. It was the only thing I felt I excelled at throughout high school; however, I still resisted my calling as a professional artist for a long time. After my first semester in college, I changed my major to art. I missed making art so much that I realized I wouldn’t be happy studying anything else. After college, making a living became a difficult reality, so I set my art to the side in search of a “real career.” One day eight years later, I was sitting in the middle of a sea of gray cubicles when I was overcome with the urge to paint. After such a long break, I battled feelings of inadequacy and how far out of reach an art career felt. I made art on and off, trying different things but with no real direction or goals for a couple of years. In 2017, I was accepted into a 9-month art fellowship and I was able to dedicate focused time towards developing a body of work. This was my first big breakthrough when I felt like a “real” artist and I’ve been making and showing work professionally since then.

What draws you to your particular subject matter?

My work explores the continuity of human character throughout time, predominantly through surrealistic, space, and futuristic themes. As a child my dad introduced me to science fiction television, movies, and novels and it quickly became a shared passion of ours that continues today. When I restarted my studio practice, I was reflecting on what kinds of subjects I was most excited to explore, and I kept coming back to my obsession with the future and how throughout our advancements, our core human experiences and behaviors remain the same. I use the surrealistic portrayal of colorful astronauts to convey hope for the future as well as a metaphor for hiding our true selves.

‍What interest of yours (outside of art) ends up influencing your practice the most?

Science fiction media, new technology, and my faith influence my practice the most. Science fiction media contributes to my subject matter, while my faith provides influence for my bright, hopeful color palettes.
What is one piece of advice you wish you could give your younger self?

I wish I could tell my younger self to pay more attention to the “green flags” in my life. I spent a lot of time ignoring and running away from who I am as an artist, and I wish I had embraced it sooner. I also wish I could tell her not to wait around for things to happen to her, but to go out and make things happen for herself.
What would you say is your biggest goal for this year?

I would love to work with a gallery in some capacity this year. It’s something I haven’t considered seriously thus far, and I’d like to explore if it’s a good fit for my long-term goals as an artist. I also hope to paint more public murals this year, and would love to paint one outside of Texas!