Artist's Presentation for Phil Demise Smith's Exhibition, "Follow the Brush"

Phil Demise Smith is poet, writer, musician, artist, and teacher. 

From August 20th through September 29th, Smith will exhibit his artworks in an exhibition titled, “Follow the Brush” at the Ridgefield Gallery. Immediately before the artist's reception on Saturday, September 10 from 2:00 - 3:00 p.m., Phil will talk briefly about his approach to his artwork, read some of his poetry, and perform a few of his songs. Please register below to attend.

The opening reception for Smith’s show will take place from 3:00 – 4:30 p.m. with an opportunity to meet and greet the artist. No registration is needed.

Smith has a very philosophical approach to his artwork. He describes his approach to creating as being informed by a Japanese literary genre called “Zuihitzu,” which has poetically been defined as "text that can drift like a cloud," "running brush," or "follow the brush."

This expressive way of painting has no central point, but rather has many parts that interact with each other. Smith’s colorful, jewel-toned paintings mirror what Smith says is his "train of thought" which presents form and color "all at once," "going in all directions," and "presenting the past, present, and the future simultaneously - all at the same time”. The artworks being exhibited are from 1987 through 2022.

Although Smith now lives in New York City, he had a home in Ridgefield from 1999 through 2010 where he was an active member of the Ridgefield Guild of Artists. He developed a very successful summer Expression Art program for children and during this time had several shows in Connecticut, New York City and Europe. His work is in collections in New York, California, Belgium, and France. He has also produced and curated numerous shows, exhibitions, and performances during this time.

As an accomplished poet, his poems have appeared in over 50 magazines. He is also a published author, editor, and creator of over 15 small press books of poems. From the 1970s to the present, Smith has performed had many of his own songs which have also been recorded and published.