Artist Statement – The Stories They Tell

I am a multi-medium artist working in clay sculpture, in-camera multiple photographs, artist books, fiber, and encaustic. My practice moves naturally into three dimensions, where form, texture, and process lead me into the stories embedded within the work. Each piece tells me what it wants to be, and as I create, I listen. The stories emerge through making, not through control.

My recent exploration of in-camera movement and multiples has become a way to embrace both intention and chance. I begin with a sense of story, but I cannot control what the camera captures in that layered moment. In each picture I discover the narrative anew. This element of surprise is vital—it reminds me that I am not the sole author. I am the medium, the conduit, between the work and the world.

I believe the universe lends me these creative powers to carry stories forward—stories that must be seen and remembered by future generations. With letters and handwritten notes disappearing, and with digital communications so easily erased, I fear that the intimate record of everyday life is vanishing. Those small details—mundane, fleeting, ordinary—have always been where history is learned and preserved. Without them, a generation from now, there may be no written trace of our lived experience.

That is why I create. Art is the lasting form, the voice that will remain when words and data fade. Through clay, fiber, wax, and images, I strive to preserve these stories, to hold open a space where memory can speak, and to pass on something that will not be lost. We, the artists, must be the storytellers.

— Peggy Smith