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POUND RIDGE, N.Y. The Hiram Halle Memorial Library has opened a new art exhibit called "Visions of South Africa," featuring photographs, oil paintings and charcoal drawings inspired by the country.
The exhibit, by artist Phyllis Smith, runs now through Oct. 22.
Smith, a Croton-on-Hudson resident, is a 2003 graduate of the School of Visual Arts in New York City. She had her first showing at a gallery in Chelsea in 2004 and her first solo exhibit two years later. She owned a gallery in Croton Falls called ARTS, which recently closed.
"It was the victim of the economy," she said. "But Croton Falls is also not the most jumping town on the face of the earth."
Smith's work encompasses three media: charcoal, oils and photos.
"I'm primarily a painter," she said. "But I love photography. I like to photograph nature. But then I started getting into charcoals and I loved it. It's really fun."
Smith got started as an artist late in life. Her children began to attend art school and she was inspired by what they were doing and decided to take up the brush herself.
She loves to travel and through her journeys she finds inspiration for her work like the one currently on display at the library.
"I went to see South Africa, but I geared up to use it for my artwork," she said.
She also recently went to China and has created paintings to reflect that trip.
Smith's oil paintings are so detailed and precise that they appear to be photographs until you get very close and notice the brush strokes.
"I'm a photo-realist or a representational artist," she explained.
Smith's exhibit can be viewed during normal library hours.
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