Erin Smith

Erin Smith (b. 1989, Oceanside, United States) is a painter and mixed media artist who lives and works in Newport. They work in watercolor and mixed media because they love the fluidity of paint and how it's slightly unpredictable. They are inspired by the visual artist Frida Kahlo because she persisted despite physical limitations and bared her soul to the audience. They are also inspired by the writer Charles Bukowski because he had a funny way of describing life and the obscure. They are also inspired by nature because it is grounding. The main subject of Smith's work is plants, objects and people that beauty or humor can be found in which is important to them because sharing things that bring joy invokes more joy. Their art-making process consists of writing lists of ideas to draw from when they find time, which can be hard as a working mother. This is important to understanding their work because sometimes the same ideas are revisited multiple times when there's more time. The ideal exhibition space for their work is a gallery because a lot of their work have stories that go along with each piece.