"Why I construct sculptures is somewhat of a mystery to me. I suspect, in some ways, it is a continuation of childhood play, where invention, improvisation and often a sense of mischief, are a key. The simple abstract shapes that I choose to work with give me the greatest freedom to manipulate and discover new forms without being bound by specific representational imagery.
The opposing qualities of form are what engage me most. Balance vs. precariousness, stability vs. movement, and the organic vs. the inorganic. I play with these elements until another dimension appears and until the form is pleasing to me. I'm partial to the double take, the paradox, but only if the work's formal qualities con sustain interest and delight over a long period of time."
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LEON SMITH - RESUME
Artist Name: Leon Smith
Born: 1933, Queensland, Australia
Residence: Resident of the U.S. since 1964. Mr. Smith maintains his home, studio and an outdoor sculpture park in Ancramdale, New York.
Education:
Sydney University, Australia
Sydney Art School
St. Martin's School of Art, London
Exhibited:
Ben Uri Gallery, Melbourne, Australia , 1963
NYC Revolving Sculpture Project, Brooklyn Courthouse, 1973
Prince Street Gallery, New York City, 1979
Gallery at Hastings on Hudson, 1987, 1989
Warburton Gallery, Hastings on Hudson NY
Ahava Gallery, Boca Raton, FL 1994-1997
Kirkestraad 58, Antwerp, Belgium , 1994
Carrie Haddad Gallery, Hudson, NY, 1998
Sculpture in the Park Project, Hartsdale, NY, 1999
Contemporary Sculpture at Chesterwood, Stockbridge, MA,
1999, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2006
Haddad Lascano Gallery, Gt. Barrington, MA 2004
CCCA Artswalk, 2004, 2005
CCCA, Hudson Opera House, NY 2004, 2005, 2006
2006 Chesterwood
Permanent installations:
City of Pittsfield , Pittsfield, MA
Mercy College, Dobbs Ferry, NY
Iona College, New Rochelle, NY
Dutchess Community College, Poughkeepsie, NY
Delancey Street Foundation, San Francisco, CA
Delancey Street Foundation, Santa Fe, NM
The artist's works are in private collections in the U.S., Australia, Israel, Belgium and Mexico City.
