Liz Rundorff Smith: Abstraction as a Vehicle for Visual Language

*Nightly Renewal.* Oil on panel. 30 x 30 inches. 2022.

*Sick Bed.* Oil on panel. 48 x 48 inches. 2022.

Artist Liz Rundorff Smith with her painting.

*Passing*. Oil on panel. 60 x 48 inches. 2021.

Artist Liz Rundorff Smith working in her studio.

South Carolina-based artist Liz Rundorff Smith finds visually engaging moments to serve as the basis for her work. Each painting acts both as a personal memorial, and as a visual reference to the memory of an experience.

How did your creative journey begin?

I can’t think of a time when I wasn’t on a creative journey. At times in my life I have had more hours in the day to devote to actually making work but I’ve always found ways to connect to my practice in some small way. I’ve always called myself an artist even when that wasn’t as apparent to the rest of the world. I think of a creative journey as something private that may not always be public facing. The journey doesn’t always need to look successful to be an integral part of who you are as an artist.

Where do you find inspiration for your work?

I find inspiration in so many things . . . other artists, designers, having a great conversation, music, a good movie. I think abstraction is an excellent vehicle for funneling ideas into a visual language that is succinct. I’m especially interested in finding moments that are accidentally visually engaging. I love finding an interesting composition in something seemingly unplanned – like grass growing in a repetitive pattern in cracks in the pavement or the garden hose draping elegantly over an inflatable toy in the backyard.

How has your work shifted and evolved over time?

I find that the evolution of my work is cyclical. I might think that I have moved beyond an idea but inevitably I come back to it – or the idea emerges slightly differently but isn’t entirely new. As my work evolves, I allow myself to go with ideas more than I used to. I’m always concerned with creating consistency in my work but if I’m going to stay interested in what I’m making I have to allow the ideas to change. I often say to myself, “paint by any means necessary.” Basically, I’m reminding myself not to get too caught up on any one technique that I’m liking. I try to push myself to change the painting technique to pursue the idea instead of allowing my fascination with the way I’m handling the material to dictate what the painting is about.

What does a typical day in the studio look like for you, and how has your art practice grown or changed?

My life is full of a lot of demands so every day is slightly different. I’ve learned to work in small segments of time. When I do have time to be in the studio, I am so much more focused because I have figured out how to work in different segments of time. Time in the studio always seems to involve an iced coffee and music. I have a record player in my studio and I love the routine of selecting my music mood for the day.

I typically mix my paint to get started –– I usually only mix three or four colors during a painting session. I always have multiple paintings going at once, so I mix a huge amount of each of the two or three colors I am working with for the session and I apply the colors to multiple surfaces. I like to work in multiple sizes while I’m painting so I usually have one or two large paintings going and a series of smaller paintings that I’m working on simultaneously. I love the drama of a big painting but I also love the intimacy of a small painting. I’m also interested in how the change in scale impacts the way that I paint.

Which experiences have impacted your work as an artist?

You know I think the more I go through in life the more committed I am to my work as an artist. At some point I realized that no one was ever going to encourage me to spend more time painting. If I want to commit to being an artist in a practical way I have to claim that and show up for myself the same way I show up for my family, friends and work. I think all my life experiences show up in my work in some way. The more I try to dig into why I’m making the work I’m making, the more I find that there are experiences that we can all connect to – like love and loss and the need to remember those experiences. My work in general is centered around the idea of a personal memorial and a visual reference to the memory of an experience.

How has social media impacted your art career?

I think social media has been good and bad for me in equal measure. Social media is empowering in the sense that I can create my own brand and exposure digitally. I also love connecting with so many artists through social media – my concept of an art community is much broader because of social media. But I also find that the need to keep up creates a fake rat race. I don’t know if anyone would really care if I didn’t post an update for a few weeks but I’ve trained myself to think that would be out of the question! I don’t know if I work faster because of the pressure to constantly create content for social media but I do feel in recent years like I have trouble concentrating or allowing work to develop slowly over time.

What are your future goals and aspirations?

I’m always envisioning a future with more time to work in the studio. With that goal in mind, I try to make decisions to honor my commitment. I don’t always want to choose spending time in the studio over everything else but I have to make a commitment to get to the future I want. I have come to the conclusion that I have to be an artist –– it’s what brings me the most fulfillment and joy. So I am willing to work really hard to make time for it.

Website: www.lizrundorffsmith.com / Instagram: @lizrundorffsmithstudio

Guest UserOctober 12, 2022