Considering emotion as the root element of his final artistic expression, he instinctively trusts his feelings to provide guidance to the right solution. Art is an emotional adventure that Smith experiences as "really wonderful, terrific and amazing," and it has taught him to be much more spontaneous. It is the difference, he says, between comparing the first twenty years as a livelihood with what is now an expression of love.

"Ultimate spirituality and ultimate creativity are right next to each other, and they follow the same path ' " he believes. "You can look at a piece of white fabric before you've done anything to it and know that there is something there, a spirit, waiting to emerge. Then you must decide what to do to make that happen. Shibori is

BIAS "K' DRESS of double georgette, multicolor, discharge/injection dye shibori. Model: Nicole. Photograph: Carolyn Ross.
like cooking. I love to cook, as much of it is a process with surprising, unexpected results. I'll stare into the refrigerator and think, this is good with this; I like ginger and it goes well with that. So let's combine it with these other ingredients. Shibori is the same way. When you open it up, you don't know what the technique is going to do, but it will tell you through its result.

"I can sit here and be looking at nothing and then something happens. I start with one concept and maybe move on to five more designs. I taught myself shibori; I taught myself to design; I taught myself to sew. I never took a workshop. In order to sew I just started sewing. Some of the first things were pretty awful, but I knew the concept was there, the excitement was there, and so was the inspiration. It is all about challenges. I say to myself, 'you've got to do at least one thing today.'

"Somebody once told me that by the time you are twenty-six it is the point of greatest creative energy and just forget it after that. I'm now fifty-one and creating more than I did at forty; and I created more at forty than I did at thirty. At each stage there has been a recognition that I'm growing stronger, more powerful; I'm growing more and more into the
Back Next Page
WEB DESIGNBY NOAH/WATUSI INC.