Exploring the Ben-Day Technique with Malcolm Smith

DOTTY

The Ben-Day dots printing process, where equal sized dots are equally spaced or overlapped, was something that fascinated Malcolm Smith.  Using mostly primary colors (red, yellow and blue) allowed the composition of his pieces to stand out. This particularily lent well to his subject matter: portraits of women from 1960s romance comics.  The simplicity of using two parts, the face and hands, to convey an expression or emotion, led to Smith incorporating classic and well known movie quotes, creating a new context. The simple black frames of the paintings remind us of those early comic book pages.  Smith later began painting in a smaller format, using garter belts, stockings and shoes from that era as well as his subject.  The juxtaposition of function and flesh, cold steel against soft skin and fabric, can be compared to Smith's background in engineering and passion for art.

MALCOLM WITH "SHOPPER"

For more information on Malcolm Smith contact centre@clic.com.

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