Visit the Studio with Liz Rundorff Smith

The work of artist Liz Rundorff Smith is bold, bright, and iconic. Her vibrant coral pinks and crisp grass lawns are reminiscent of some uncanny distant American past, too plastic and perfect to truly be real. We’re excited to unpack this and more as we take a look inside Liz’s studio.

What materials do you use? And why?

I think of my creative process as a loop or cycle. The process begins with taking pictures of the spaces and objects that are most familiar to me. A photograph offers me the sense of having captured a memory, a snapshot in time, that is already a filtered version of the original. When I am painting I want to strip the images down even further –– to the essentials that convey the experience of space and time. I am most interested in capturing the feeling of nostalgia in a painting. The result is a painting that feels familiar in an uncanny way. My work begins with my experience of a particular space or interaction with an object that leads to my painted interpretation, reflection, and response to that experience.

I paint large scale abstract paintings in oil on canvas and wood panel. Oil paint is the medium I have worked with the longest, so I feel I have an understanding of its potential. When I’m just starting a new body of work I create a series of smaller gouache on paper pieces. The gouache pieces dry quickly compared to oil so I am able to work through a new color palette and new forms succinctly before moving to my larger scale.

Most recently, I am pushing myself to close the loop in my process by creating work that becomes an object again –– moving beyond painting by using material that is an impressionistic replication of the original. I use encaustic medium to create sculptural forms that mimic the forms and color palette in my paintings. The encaustic medium acts as a glue that I can add to various materials with a painterly application but it hardens when it cools –– embedding the materials. So I am continuing to work with all painting mediums, but utilizing the mediums in different ways than intended and ranging in scale and form.

What is your artwork about? What does it speak to?

Recently, I started thinking about the idea of the roadside memorial and that is the work I am most interested in pursuing at the moment. My work in general is centered around the idea of a personal memorial and a visual reference to the memory of an experience. I love the intersection of the deeply personal with the overtly public interaction one can experience when interacting with a roadside memorial.

For a very long time, I’ve been interested in the experience of loss and my desire, almost need, to express loss in visual form. The memory of space is a recurring theme in my work and the loss of clarity that comes with remembering continues to inform my work.

Where do you get your inspiration?

I’m inspired by so many things. I think the inspiration that is probably the most evident and shows up most often is the reference to décor –– most specifically color trends from different eras that remind me of my personal history and the houses and suburban landscape I grew up within.

I’m also inspired by keepsakes and makeshift memorials that commemorate a loved one. I love kitsch, but I am most interested in the personal connection that we associate with kitsch –– kitsch carries meaning. I am interested in the idea of memorializing as it relates to the everyday and I think that kitsch is an accessible form of beauty that gives meaning to the objects we choose to keep and assign importance.

What is your typical routine when you get to the studio? Walk us through a typical studio day.

First, buying coffee from Village Grind which is located in my studio neighborhood (hot Americano in the morning and iced coffee in the afternoon). When I get to the studio I turn on my griddle to start heating the wax for the encaustic process (it can take a bit of time to heat up) and I select music. I have a record player in my studio and I love the routine of selecting my music mood for the day.

If I am painting in oil, I mix my paint to get started –– I usually only mix two or three colors during a painting session. I always have multiple paintings going at once so I mix a huge amount of each of the two or three colors I am working with for the session and I apply the colors to multiple surfaces. I also like to spend time playing with the encaustic process, so I apply wax to multiple surfaces or I experiment with dipping things in the wax and then I have to be patient and let the wax cool.

While I am waiting for the wax to cool and the paint layers to dry it’s a good time to work on emails, social media, scheduling and writing notes for reminders because at this point if I don’t write it down I will forget. I work on the gouache on paper pieces at my kitchen table at home, so that routine is far less fun because it usually involves doing dishes and working as quickly as possible to get paint down so that I can feed my 8 and 9 year old daughters (again, like all day long).

Do you work at a particular size or scale? Why?

I tend to work in repeated squares of the same size because of the nod to minimalism and, most recently, the connection to Instagram. I try to work in a range of sizes because I love the drama of a really big painting, but I also love the intimacy of a small painting. I guess I’m not as fond of in between sizes, but some painters would say that my big paintings aren’t that big – I think 60”x60” is the biggest painting I’ve done. I really can’t go much bigger than that in my studio!

What are you currently working on? Share with us what is exciting to you about this most recent work.

I am working on a new series of large scale (22”x30”) gouache on paper pieces. I am also working on some smaller oil on panel paintings because I just finished two 48”x60” oil on canvas pieces and I need a break from painting big for the moment. I also started working on an encaustic piece that will require hundreds of artificial carnations dipped in wax (so that’s obviously an ongoing project that will take a while). The Carnation is a flower that symbolizes commemoration –– we often use them for events like funerals, graduations, and baby showers. I am using Carnations in my work as a way to speak to those life events that commemorate loss and change.

I like having projects in multiple mediums going on simultaneously because each medium informs the other. Also the change in scale helps me move at different speeds through each project (meaning I can complete some paintings in one day while some paintings will take several weeks).

Which artists most inspire you and your work?

Oh it’s a very long list and it’s constantly growing! Early on I was drawn to Eva Hesse’s work and I have continued to go back to that reference throughout my career. Even before Eva Hesse I loved Georgia O’Keefe when I was young. I love the work of Felix Gonzalez Torres, Rachel Whiteread, Ross Bleckner , Agnes Martin. . . I am constantly inspired by contemporary artists who seem to navigate the space in between object and painting. Katie Stout, Leah Guadagnoli, Amelia Briggs, Jodi Hays. . . really I could just keep going.

Do you balance another job in addition to being an artist?

I work for the Greenville Center for Creative Arts as the Director of Programming which works out well in terms of community engagement, but also means that I have limited time to work in the studio. I have created and worked within small segments of time so that I am always working on something. I’m also a mom of two kids (Piper is 9 and Tessa will be 8 in a month) so it’s really important for me to work within the limited time and resources I have and not wait until my time and the demands of my life change to make room for art. But I have come to the conclusion that I have to be an artist –– it’s what brings me the most fulfillment and joy. So I am willing to work really hard to make time for it.

Do you have any current or upcoming exhibits? Please share!

I am really excited to be included in “Counterbalance”, a two-person exhibition with painter Lisa Fellerson, at Susan Eley Fine Art in New York opening September 17 - October 22.

Because the world is focusing on virtual communication and experiences at the moment, it’s a great time to make your own opportunities as an artist. So I’m working on future exhibitions. It’s sort of like dressing for the job you want, rather than the job you have. I’m creating work for the shows I want; combining all of the different mediums and projects into one exhibition. I’m envisioning makeshift shrines and paintings that interact with objects on the floor.

Photos by Melissa Brewer, @melissabrewerphoto

We hope you’ve enjoyed this special peek into Liz's creative environment! Even in a virtual age, we encourage all budding collectors to take the time to connect with the artists you love directly.

We want to remind you of our awesome artist messaging feature directly on the Art in Res site––reach out now and foster that creative energy! Have more questions for Liz on her art and practice? Follow up with her directly via our messenger. We know she’ll be thrilled to answer any questions you might have. Ask about a specific painting or about her specific process in general––either approach works!