Liz Rundorff Smith

Reliquary (for Gigi) (abstract, bright colors, layers, encaustic, vessel)

2024

mixed media on paper 13 x 9 inches unframed 23.25 x 19.25 inches framed Rundorff Smith deals with central shapes that she develops by referencing urns, shrines, burial mounds and places of veneration. As a current resident of South Carolina, she associates cemeteries, particularly locations in the South, as spiritual spaces of veneration. Her paintings are reliquaries for memories. Urns are vessels to hold ashes while also acknowledging life—what we mourn and what we celebrate. In the exhibition at SEFA Hudson, Rundorff Smith presents the latest in her series entitled “Trophy.” These small scale encaustic paintings are hung in a grid that mirrors the geometric patterns within each piece. The artist works in layers by melting and combining pigmented wax to create a literal history on the materials’ surface, while simultaneously implying the personal story that each vessel is meant to hold. Rendered in colored wax from sky blue to bright pink to vibrant yellow—a rectangular pattern blankets many of the paintings. This patternation references the constructions of Rundorff Smith’s father, a builder. Thus, the “Trophy” paintings...

Lisa Pressman earned her BA in Art from Douglas College, Rutgers University and an MFA from Bard College. Her work has been exhibited extensively throughout the U.S. and abroad, including The Hunderton Art Museum, Clinton, NJ (2014), the Rosenfeld Gallery, Philadelphia, PA (2013); Therese A. Maloney Art Gallery, College of Saint Elizabeth, Morristown, NJ; group shows at SEFA; and Butters Gallery, Portland...

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