Southwest Virginia (Primary Title)
Mike Smith, American, born 1951 (Artist)
"The mountains have always been a haven for people who wanted to get away. They have an independence in their thinking. They understand the solitary nature of life." —Mike Smith
Smith’s images reflect a strong sense of place by including physical details and emotional cues that are particular to his surroundings in northeastern Tennessee and southwestern Virginia—its farmland, countryside, disheveled roadside buildings, and gas stations. In Smith’s American southeast, formal austerity is found amid quirky dilapidation. Smith pays particular attention to formal qualities in his photographs. In many of his images, a single color dominates, sometimes as a monochromatic unity, sometimes as a strong contrast to a muted background. Patterns repeating across the surface add a textural quality. Lines suggesting movement create dynamic compositions and instill subtle tensions in otherwise still images.
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