SMILEY SUMMERS
Guy an de gay lo
"a pile of wood"
(315) 425-1510
Oneida Nation /
Bear Clan /
Off-reservation |
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| Born: January 5, 1959 |
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| Every once in a while, an artist will come along who
breaks with predominant styles to create something different. Smiley
Summers is one of those. From his seventeenth floor apartment in
downtown Syracuse, he paints at all hours of the day, applying oils and
acrylics to whatever surface is available, whether it is canvas or
insulation board. His themes are all spiritual, his style expressionist.
A cursory glance at one of Smiley's paintings may convince the viewer
that it was painted by a child with a vivid imagination, but further
contemplation draws the viewer into the work. Smiley is no child. His
life has not been easy, and is full of the kinds of experiences that
make childhood wither away. |
| His parents, Basil and Jean Summers, moved the family
from the Oneida reservation on the Thames river in Ontario to the
ghettos of Syracuse when Smiley was eight years old. Smiley came of age
on the streets of Syracuse, starting to drink heavily when he was nine
years old. In his lifetime he has known much death, violence, and
injustice. He quit drinking in 1987, and started painting in 1988. While
some of his art reflects pain, all his work is charged with a great deal
of feeling and emotion. He is largely self-taught, and he cites Gesso
Thomas and Eli Thomas as major influences on his work. He did take a
class at the Metropolitan School of Arts in Syracuse, as well as an art
class at Onondaga Community College, taught by Sheldon Gibson, Tom Huff,
and Eli Thomas. Smiley's paintings reflect his experience, and the
complex contradictory situation of being Native in an urban world. As he
describes the process, Smiley paints the way he sees his soul. |
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Somewhat reticent in nature, Smiley seldom exhibits his work. He has
shown his work at local coffeehouses and restaurants. Occasionally he
sells some of his work, but he also likes to trade his work with other
artists. The walls of his apartment are covered with his work. He has
some devoted local patrons, and one of his paintings was recently
acquired by the Iroquois Indian Museum. Smiley's plans for the future
are to continue painting. For him it is a saving grace, an antidote to
the harsh experiences he has lived through. 1/98 |
| To some of Smiley's paintings |
| Smiley 1 |
Smiley 7 |
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| Smiley 2 |
Smiley 8 |
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| Smiley 3 |
Smiley 9 |
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| Smiley 4 |
Smiley 10 |
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| Smiley 5 |
Smiley 11 |
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| Smiley 6 |
Smiley 12 |
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