Borrowing elements from classical mythology, numerology, occult science (theosophy) and sacred geometry, James Smolleck’s collage work, drawings and paintings are potent yet whimsical parables that unravel the traditionally hermetic practice of self-discovery. His hybridized subjects—at once humanoid and animistic—roam vast landscapes, occupy sacred interiors and partake in esoteric rituals upon backdrops influenced by everything from the Flemish Masters and Medieval architecture, to theatrical backdrops and science fiction. The results are as measured or unmeasured as his influences are diverse, revealing an associative process that embraces the unknown and, fittingly, the unknowable.
James Smolleck received his BFA from the University of Texas in San Antonio in 1998. He has been included in several group exhibitions in the United States, Mexico, France and Denmark. His recent solo exhibitions include David Shelton Gallery, Houston, TX; Sala Diaz, San Antonio, TX; and Arcaute Arte Contemporáneo; Monterrey, MX. He is in the permanent collection of the McNay Museum of Art and San Antonio Museum of Art, in San Antonio, TX.
