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Feb. 3, 2006
It's a real family affair
Playful titles and layered textures mark photos.
MONIKA ULLMANN
Creativity often runs in families, uniting generations who inspire
each other in unique ways. But being an artist of any kind is a
struggle. Much depends on how parents react to their children's
creativity.
In the case of the Smith family, art has played an important role,
which explains the festive opening reception of an unusual father/daughter
photography exhibit, Patterns of Life, showing at the Sidney and
Gertrude Zack Gallery in the Jewish Community Centre of Greater
Vancouver until Feb. 19. Sheryl R. Smith, a photographer, musician
and sign language interpreter, is the daughter of the late Dr. Allan
Smith, a dentist whose true passion was photography.
During a heartfelt thank you speech to the large number of friends
and supporters who braved torrential rains to come to the opening,
Smith's wife Lyvia read the poem that inspired the title of the
exhibition and talked about how Sheryl and her sister, Jodi, grew
up with their father's work.
"I feel he is here tonight, and he would be so proud to share
the stage with his daughter," she said.
Smith wanted to be a full-time artist, but his parents said that
it was too insecure a profession; he'd better be a dentist so he
could afford the expensive cameras he wanted. That's why his patients
always enjoyed a variety of landscape and portrait photographs covering
the walls in his office. His eye for texture, color and pattern
is evident in full-color images depicting gleaming city scenes at
night and dramatic large-scale landscapes, as well as intimate country
settings.
"It's so nice to have his work out there," said Sheryl
Smith, adding that the family is still discovering new works among
his papers.
Her choice of subject echoes that of her father – she, too,
likes bridges, cities at night and unusual buildings. She says that
she chooses her subjects spontaneously. A dramatic shot of the Seattle
Space Needle taken from below happened because she had just had
dinner at the restaurant at the top.
"I just looked up and thought, 'that looks great,' and took
the shot," she said. Apparently, this is a woman who is never
without a camera, even when she goes out to dinner.
Several people commented on "Downtown Reflections" –
a night shot of a typical Vancouver glass tower made mysterious
by the lights reflected in the glass and some dark foliage in the
foreground. A fog-bound winter image of the Chinese Pavilion at
English Bay evokes the mysterious East, while other images are abstract
studies of interesting patterns and colors. Each image resonates
with a quirky title; for example, a shot of empty school desks has
the title "I Hope I Pass" and the pavilion picture is
called "Eve of the Old Millennium."
Sheryl's flair for the dramatic isn't accidental. Aside from her
lifelong interest in photography, she has always been a gifted singer
and performer as well. She has had a varied career as a performer,
doing one-woman shows, singing with her own trio and working in
television and film.
Like her father, she decided that the insecure life of an artist
wasn't right for her, so she went back to school and became a sign
language interpreter, a skill she used to translate the speeches
made at the opening. Quite a few of her hearing impaired contacts
were there and spirited conversations could be observed all night
long.
Smith will be at the gallery on Sunday, Feb. 5, from 2-4 p.m. Partial
proceeds of the show will go towards the Canadian Cancer Society.
Monika Ullmann is a Vancouver freelance writer and editor.
She can be reached at [email protected].
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