I had the pleasure of representing Cedric Smith in my galley, Eclectic Connection, several years ago. He is one of the nicest artists I have had the opportunity to work with. I loved his art then and I love it now. I can’t get enough of that Funky Stuff!
Cedric Smith was born in Philadelphia in 1970. He grew up in Thomaston, Georgia, where he moved with his family when he was a young boy. He currently resides in Savannah, Ga.
Smith is a self taught artist who while eschewing the “so-called rules of art”, has created a personal genre of work. Smith started painting postage stamps with images of African Americans after hearing a line from Public Enemy front man Chuck D: “most of our heroes don’t appear on no stamps.” Later, he moved to painting magazine covers and now, he focuses on vintage-looking advertisements, calling attention to the lack of Black representation in advertising. He draws on a wide range of influences and sources, both traditional and contemporary, and which include landscape art, pop art, brand advertising and photography to express his poignant observations of life in the rural south. A prolific artist, Cedric works with a honed discipline on his compositions, seamlessly morphing photographic images into his richly textured pieces, applying and removing layers and lettering.
Much of his current work is devoted to redressing an observation that dogged him as a child – the absence of Blacks in advertising and on the labels of popular brands. Smith has had a number of solo exhibitions since 1998. They include Barbara Archer Gallery, Atlanta, GA; Beverly Libby Gallery, Atlanta, GA; Fay Gold Gallery, Atlanta, GA; Thelma Harris Gallery, Oakland, CA; Eclectic Connection Fine Art Gallery, Summit, NJ; Noel Gallery, Charlotte, NC, and AT&T, Atlanta, GA. His work has also been shown in numerous group exhibitions. Public collections in which his work can be found include The Francis Walker Museum in Thomaston, Ga; The Tubman Museum in Macon, GA, and Morris Brown College, Atlanta, GA.
Cedric has a blog called Vintage Blood, where he posts new paintings and stunning photographs along with his vintage finds. Please visit Cedric Smith and his art at CedricSmith.com
