Saturday, February 02, 2013

Art Shadow Shadow Art


The husband of a dear friend of mine, Neil B. Smith passed away on Feb. 7, 2012. For those of us who knew him, it seemed quite sudden. Although, I suspect he kind of knew the end was in sight as he suddenly expressed an interest in exhibiting the art work that he had been creating for a good part of his adult life. However, he ran out of time before he could complete that goal. After he passed, his wife, Elizabeth, decided to execute that dream and asked if I would curate the show. Mind you, Neil was prolific! Choosing what to hang got overwhelming at times, but this past Wednesday, I hung the show. There are several large pieces amongst the 24 or so pieces that were hung that are 36" x 36" on wood panels that weigh a ton. As I was getting the tags on the wall, I noticed this lovely patterned shadow on one of those large pieces that is a geometric abstract.

So, I took a shot of the art shadow and shadow art (you only can see about 1/4th of the artwork by the way).

Tonight was the reception and when Elizabeth walked into the gallery seeing the work hung for the first time, she seemed very pleased and of course, a bit overwhelmed. I know this was a hard corner for her to turn, but she did so with the help of her family and friends. I know too, that there are still many more hard corners that she will have to turn in the future. I like the advice my mom gave to my husband before she passed. She said that when the going gets tough, you just pick yourself up by the bootstraps and put one foot in front of the other. Just one step at a time. And, you will find that you will get there. Wherever 'there' is.


"Everything that we see is a shadow cast by that which we do not see." (Martin Luther King)


Every week, a group of us from around the world post our shadow shots over at Shadow Shot Sunday 2. Entertain your muse and be amused by stopping by to see what others have posted! You can view all of my 2012 Shadow Shot Sunday images on my Flickr account.
Click here to view them.

16 comments:

Sylvia K said...

What a wonderful project, Paula! And I know his family appreciates it and the work you put into!! Terrific shadow shot for the day, too! Have a lovely weekend!!

Catherine said...

that is a moving and inspiring story behind the exhibition and the shadow art is wonderful..

Magical Mystical Teacher said...

A sturdy story of truth and beauty, love...and shadows...

Blushing Shadows

Leovi said...

Yes, I like those nice shadows, beautiful abstract composition. Greetings.

Ren said...

I missed the opening because I had to teach a class, but I am looking forward to stopping by the gallery and seeing the work firsthand. Elizabeth has put so much time and love into creating this exhibition. I remember seeing Neil painting in the UNM studio, so I have an idea what wonderful-ness to expect!

MyMaracas said...

What a wonderful tribute to a friend. I can only imagine how moving it must be for his family to see his work this way.

carol l mckenna said...

Truly beautiful and creative photography ~ My condolences to your friend and kudos to you for curating a lovely tribute to her husband's creative work ~

Carol of: A Creative Harbor

Gemma Wiseman said...

So love the play of light and shadow on the textures of this beautiful artwork! A most inspiring story behind the art!

robin. said...

what a beautiful tribute paula. i am sure it was overwhelming for your friend...but a blessing. you did a good thing my friend!!!

Chubskulit Rose said...

He left a lasting memory, love the shadow shots.

Shadowy Background.
Your comment is always appreciated..

Anonymous said...

Thank you for sharing this with us. I wish somebody would do the same to my works when I'm gone...mine are not that heavy though. Have a good week ahead!

Vane M. said...

A sombra rende desenhos até em uma parede branca...adorei a frase citada. Um abraço!

Nonnie said...

such an endearing tribute to your friend's husband. I pray for her healing.

Chubby Chieque said...

This makes my heart bleed. I still did not cope up my mum's death. Knowing someone passed away always touch my heart, like this.

Keep making the dream of dear Neil. I salute every min you share to his loving wife.

TY so much for sharing, Paula.

Greetings & hugs from the icy Stockholm,
/CC girl

Lovable Derek said...

I like the shadow shot. This is a very poignant post. Thanks

A Cuban In London said...

What a great project! I didn't realise you were a curator in addition to writing fun posts about linguistics. :-)

Greetings from London.

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