Brandon Smith

solo show

Wednesday, October 18th - Sunday, October 29th

reception:  Saturday, October 21st, 4-8 pm

Oakland painter Brandon Smith is known for his striking cityscapes and studies of urban life.  "I'm just drawn to the telephone poles, wires and buildings:  the angular compositions and horizontal and vertical lines."  We are delighted to display 30 of Brandon's paintings in his first one-man show.

Brandon's paintings capture everyday moments--reading a menu, or riding the bus--and often have a furtive quality, carrying the viewer right into the scene.  Many of the pieces in the show reflect Brandon's experience of the Bay Area.  "I worked in coffee shops and as a waiter, and the cafe scenes in the show are images that are familiar to me."  Brandon lives in the East Bay, and several paintings in the show depict Oakland landmarks, including the Fox Theater and the flatiron building at Telegraph and Broadway.   Other pieces depict the San Francisco neighborhoods he frequents, including South of Market where he teaches at the Academy of Art University.  "I am not painting to reproduce what I see like a photograph, but to take the key characteristics and describe them in as few strokes of my paintbrush as possible to give the pieces life and movement."  Brandon has won several awards for his work and has been featured in both Southwest Art Magazine and American Art Collector Magazine.