KACI SMITH 1973 – mixed media artist ● collagist ● weaver
California artist Kaci Smith has spent much of her creative life in the mediums of painting and collage. In 2020, both the continuing impacts of the pandemic as well as nearby wildfires made it impossible for her to travel to her studio to paint. She began foraging for twigs around her home and began to weave miniature creations. During the holidays that year she took a wishbone from the family dinner and turned it into a mini loom “as a way to honor the turkey that fed my family on Thanksgiving.”
Though she still collages and paints, the twig and wishbone weavings continue to provide Smith with a pleasing, though tiny, palette for creative expression.
“Even though tapestry is basically ‘painting with yarn,’ you can never rush it. The very nature of it teaches patience, and there is a special rhythm in the repetition.”
BMC artist Ruth Asawa remembers that students “were encouraged to use whatever we could find… (so) we worked with the leaves which were plentiful in North Carolina, the wild leaves. The dogwood leaves turned a brilliant red when the frost came.”
Kaci Smith found her creative world for making became much smaller during the pandemic. She found herself taking long walks and finding inspiration on the ground beneath her feet. Bundle up and go for a walk. What is there to inspire you? Gather leaves, twigs, rocks… Maybe you have some yarn or twine that wants to help connect the pieces. What will emerge from your findings: a collage? A mini nature altar? Don’t forget to take pictures of your found objects/creations and post to the blog if you’d like.
