Vanessa Smith

The interiors in Smith's paintings bring together the mysterious and the mundane, whether it be a deserted cafe or dimly-lit living room, these spaces are imbued with an eerie tension. Devoid of people, there are suggestions of life or habitation - a smoking cigarette, a glowing light, a door left ajar - all hint at a fractured narrative.
The window-view monochrome landscapes increase the sense of isolation, their bleak subjects - burning cars, industrial wasteland, deserted roads, are evocative of an aftermath as seen in Science Fiction films or crime scenes. Although there is undoubtedly a sense of the macabre Smith's work, she has a congenial relationship with this aspect; she finds a beauty in the stillness and silence.