Anastasia Smith Arts
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The People with their eyes open

4/15/2020

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There was a time when the people forgot to keep their eyes open. All of the people were busy, but they felt alone. 
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 The mothers and grandmothers decided to come together to stitch the people into a quilt, warm and connected. The People were warm, and they were less alone, but the people still could not see because their eyes were closed. 
Now the People were warm because they were stitched together, but they still had their eyes closed.
​The warm people put their quilt on the earth and sat down so they could feel each other. 
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When a little brown bird flew near the quilt she saw that the people had their eyes closed.  She dropped a feather near each side of the quilt so the furred people could find the People and she flew to ask for help because the people with feathers know how dangerous it is to have your eyes closed.
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The four legged People With Fur knew something was wrong with the People Who Had Their Eyes Closed, but because they use their noses and their connection to the earth instead of their eyes they didn't know the People needed to open their eyes until the People With Feathers explained it to them.
So the People With Fur followed the feathers to the Quilt where the People With Their Eyes Closed sat.  The People with Fur nudged the people sitting on their quilt to remind them that you can't see the world when your eyes are closed, and you can't feel the world when your edges are not stitched together. The People began to open their eyes and to listen. When the People step outside their homes with their Eyes Open they see the World. 
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 They see the Sky filled with Light, they see the Clouds protecting us.  The People With Their Eyes Open breathe in the taste left by the Thunder and Lightning Beings as they dance on the wild winds. The People With Their Eyes Open can see the Stars looking back at them and know that People are never alone. The People With Their Eyes Open are a part of everything, They are safe in their homes. Because they are not alone the People With Their Eyes Open are able to survive and embrace the transformation of the Tusweca, the dragonflies that represent change.
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So here is the thing I made at the beginning of the Pandemic.
I have a lot of thoughts and emotions around this.
It's not mine.
I've had plenty of time while working on it to explore my thoughts because Paper Quilling is a time consuming process.
This piece is inspired by Focus Smith's lakota beadwork iconography design that he is selling as a t-shirt. You can buy your own on the Thrive website here:  
thriveunltd.com/shop/
 (more about Thrive later)

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Focus published this little translation along with it:



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When I saw this I knew I wanted to tell a story based on his design.  I'm an artist, so the internal process of creating a story became art before it became words.

Because the design is not my own, because I live in a place where its easy, so easy, to discount the amazing journey that our indigenous people are on, I am donating the proceeds from sale of this piece to Thrive Unlimited and their mission of building strong communities by placing creative power back in the hands of the people. If you have been around me for the last six months you've probably heard bits and pieces of my excitement over this organization and how they are creating more effective narratives for some of the most difficult problems our local community faces.

According to their website Thrive Unltd. is "a collective of individuals from diverse backgrounds working tirelessly to empower indigenous communities to heal from the inside out. Representing various tribal nations, we draw upon our direct life and work experience to bring innovative, culturally based solutions to issues facing our communities. Thrive was founded with the intent to create a new narrative for indigenous peoples that identified us as resilient nations who heal and thrive"

Their message resonates so clearly with what I have learned from working with the "People with Fur" 

This artwork will be on Digital Display for the next month.  If you are interested in owning it or a print please contact me through this website to place a bid.  Also buy one of the tshirts from Focus!

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Arts Legacy Project

3/17/2015

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Earlier this month I had the privilege to be be one of the featured artist at the Art Legacy Project where storytellers and artists meet in a live arts event.  Three artists are paired up with storytellers to produce an artwork in front of an audience as the story is told.  The event mastermind is Peter Franz who not only had this fabulous idea, but brought together a group of people to organize it and actually made it happen!  The theme for the event was "Dissappearing" and the stories were chilling and dramatic. 

This was a really fun event hosted by one of my favorite local galleries and charities, the Suzie Cappa.  The storytellers were great, especially my own partner, Lisa Ann Gallagher who has several books out.  Her story was an eerie tale of the detroit punk scene, a midnight drive, and a life changing experience.

Being an artist at the event I decided not to worry about documenting it, so I don't have a photo of the finished painting, but here is one of the smaller practice ones we did while preparing for the event.

Art Legacy Project is an ongoing event, so if you are in Rapid City in May see if you can attend the next one!
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on Finding Inspiration

12/16/2014

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One of the hardest and simultaneously most enjoyable tasks I have as an artist is to find inspiration.  While I would probably be happy reworking the same three horses and a couple of wolves for an entire career, this is not what gets me out of bed in the morning.  This month I have been working with severe limits, trying to improve withing the confines of one subject and a limited pallet.  This is what it looks like:
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It feels like a way to shelter myself from restlessness while I look for the next big idea.   I have been following the big art events like Miami"s art fairs and meeting gloriously creative people that paint using their own body as the brush or the buildings of art alley as their canvas. I am asking myself questions about how art can make a difference in the world and how my art can join in...

This is a long way from little monochrome dancers.  The ideas are stirring around half formed and every once in a while I wake up in the morning knowing that something is demanding entrance into the world through me. In the meantime the dancers are getting more consistent and telling their stories a little more clearly.
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flow and subjects

11/9/2014

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I have a number of things I really like to paint. 

Horses

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emotionally evocative women

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Landscapes

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living things in landscapes

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but this week has been frustrating as these rich subjects are not enough to keep me interested.  some little thing is missing and I am not able to commit the time and energy to another depiction of the same imagery.  It is time for some fresh ideas, a new modeling session, more dramatic lighting, something that is just MORE than what I have done already.
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Suzie Cappa show closes

10/26/2014

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I stopped by the Suzie Cappa gallery in downtown rapid city yesterday to pick up the art that has been on display in their late summer group show.  These fun artworks are some of the dozen that were displayed from august through mid october.  Suzie Cappa is one of my favorite Rapid City art spaces.  Their mission is to help the adult artists with special needs support themselves by providing studio and gallery space and helping them to sell their art.  They include other local artists like myself in their shows.  Stop by when you are in the area and check out this great art space and the beautiful people who run it and work in their studio!  Look for more of my work in future group shows
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Wolf Moon hand painted Relief Casting price 80$
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    Anastasia "Asia" Smith

    Anastasia Smith  is a teaching artist who brings a vision of creativity to students and art collectors.  There is a LOT going on in her brain and she would love to share it with you

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