Steve Hawley

Apple with an Attitude

2010

Artist Comments
Artist Dwight Smith depicts a realistic culinary-themed still life. "The bottle opener was of my dad and mom's from so long ago I don't remember when," shares Dwight. He paints a bright red apple on its side adjacent to it. A focused light source highlights the foreground, while strong contrasts of dark shadows in the background frame the elements.

About the Artist
Dwight Smith depicts commonplace objects with a sense of playfulness and humor. His watercolor still life paintings appear conventional in their soft colors and composed compositions, but upon further observation the juxtaposition of unrelated items make for delightfully surprising combinations and comparisons. This transformation of the everyday, and strong graphic style, lend the work a pop feel. However, pop art is generally cool and ironic. Instead, there is a familiar and comforting sense of kitsch and Americana in Dwight’s subjects. In a similar fashion to the work of American artist Wayne Thiebaud, Dwight paints food and sweets of the American appetite. Doughnuts, hotdogs, and lollipops are captured in all of their potent delight. He plays with scale and composition to bring out a sense of the absurd, but ultimately his goal is to make the viewer smile.

Words that describe this painting: watercolor, realism, still life, culinary, apple, apple cider...