Smile

Rebecca Doughty

The characters I paint or draw or sculpt in my studio are my companions, confidants, clowns, heroes. Together we navigate life’s comedies and tragedies. My work most often features a cast of animal characters in a range of human predicaments, but for this exhibition I’ve combined two bodies of work that take a slightly different turn: the Smile paintings may be smiles of the past or future, or of the departed, moments of happiness salvaged, ghosts of happiness haunting a fragmenting world. The Sticks, friendly in spite of their anatomical challenges, honor a long tradition of folk and visionary artists who transform these readily available natural materials into worlds of their own. I’m interested in the notions of “high” and “low” art, and perhaps my work exists in some odd territory— very much rooted in traditions of painting and drawing, and at the same time poking fun at these traditions.

“All the untidy activity continues, awful but cheerful.” —Elizabeth Bishop