“Art is something that is an exchange between painter and viewer, it acts as a mirror of emotion.”
A Brush with Freedom and Emotion
For Margi Smith, (Instagram @margismithartworks) painting is not simply a visual pursuit. It is a dialogue between the canvas and the soul, a meeting place where colors carry stories and textures hold unspoken truths. Since returning to her art practice in 2008, after attending a transformative workshop with Flora Bowley at the Squam Art Workshops, Smith has committed herself to exploring acrylic abstraction with boldness and emotional honesty. That retreat introduced her to a way of creating that bypassed rigid control, inviting spontaneity, movement, and vulnerability into her work. It marked the beginning of her ongoing relationship with art as a space where physical expression, emotional release, and creative risk converge.
The workshop’s approach encouraged Smith to engage with painting on a visceral level. Instead of working toward a preconceived image, she embraced a process-driven method where the act of creation led the way. Playfulness and experimentation became cornerstones of her practice, and she learned to surrender the outcome to the natural progression of each piece. This openness allowed her to tap into deeper layers of her personal narrative, using art to uncover and articulate the emotions stored in the body, not just the mind. Painting became an act of trust, a way of letting her inner stories flow into the open space of the canvas.
For Smith, the magic lies in this surrender. When she allows her art to lead, it invites connection not only between herself and her materials but also between the finished piece and its audience. She views art as a bridge that can inspire reflection and conversation, a catalyst for the kind of emotional recognition that resonates beyond words. By leaning into uncertainty, she finds the transformative moments that anchor her work: moments where creativity shifts from self-expression into shared human experience.
Left: “Flames burn bright” Right: “Half Miracles begin”
Margi Smith: Painting as a Catalyst for Human Connection
Smith’s paintings are created with the intention of sparking something in the viewer that they may not have known was there. She believes that art can mirror emotion, holding up an image that allows people to see their own inner landscapes reflected back at them. Her work often invites viewers into this kind of exchange, encouraging them to pause, feel, and recognize the depth of their own responses. For her, this is the art of possibility — the mysterious alchemy that occurs when paint on canvas becomes a shared emotional experience.
The process is as vital to her as the finished work. When Smith is in the act of painting, time feels suspended. The repetitive gestures, the play of color against color, and the shift between brushwork and alternative application methods become meditative. In these moments, she says the mind quiets and the body takes over, allowing memory and feeling to merge with creativity. Her practice is less about imposing control and more about creating a space where the unexpected can emerge.
This philosophy is deeply rooted in her series A Sense of Home, a body of work inspired by friendship, the pull of shared histories, and the grounding beauty of nature. She has exhibited widely, from ARTHOUSE NYC and the Clio Art Fair in New York to galleries across Massachusetts, South Carolina, and North Carolina. Along the way, her work has garnered multiple awards, including first-place honors in judged shows and grants that have taken her from the wooded landscapes of New Hampshire to an artist’s residency in a château in southern France. These experiences have enriched her creative vocabulary, each new place offering fresh inspiration and a deeper sense of artistic purpose.
“Homeward Bound”
The Healing Canvas: Grief, Memory, and Transformation
Among Smith’s most significant works is a deeply personal piece created in the wake of her father’s passing. Confronted with the complexity of grief, she began with a raw, unfiltered gesture: scratching unsaid words directly into a 60-by-40-inch canvas. The act was both physical and cathartic, a release of what could not be spoken aloud. Over time, she layered warm yellows, reds, and oranges across the surface, colors chosen from her father’s favorite palette. These hues softened the sharpness of the initial marks, transforming them into a tribute imbued with warmth, love, and remembrance.
This work remains powerful not because its story is visible, but because its hidden layers mirror the way life often conceals pain beneath moments of beauty. For Smith, it reflects the truth that healing is not about erasing loss but rather integrating it into the whole of one’s life. The piece carries private meaning, yet it still offers viewers a chance to connect on their own terms, to sense the emotional depth without needing to know its origins.
This approach to art as a vessel for emotional processing is central to her philosophy. Whether grappling with joy, nostalgia, or sorrow, Smith trusts the process to guide her toward transformation. Her studio becomes a sanctuary where colors act as mediators between inner feeling and outward expression. By making space for what is unresolved, she creates works that are as much about personal restoration as they are about visual impact.
Left: “Homecoming Light” Right: “March Madness”
Margi Smith: Nature’s Influence and the Joy of Play
Nature is a constant influence in Smith’s work, both for its visual beauty and for the way it embodies change. She draws inspiration from shifting seasons, the interplay of light and shadow, and the intricate patterns found in the natural world. These elements filter into her abstract compositions, where movement, rhythm, and color echo the unpredictability of landscapes and weather. Artists such as Kandinsky, Joan Mitchell, Jodie King, and David Mankin have also shaped her sensibilities, offering examples of how abstraction can carry emotional weight and narrative depth.
Her relationship with art is also rooted in joy and playfulness. She approaches painting as an act of freedom, a chance to dismantle the heaviness of the world with bold strokes and unexpected color pairings. This playful spirit is captured in her own description of her “superpower” as “saving dull walls one painting at a time.” By filling spaces with vibrant energy, she seeks to create environments that uplift and awaken the senses, countering negativity with visual delight.
Smith’s aspirations reach beyond galleries. She envisions her paintings on the walls of film and television sets, becoming part of cultural storytelling in new ways, and in the hands of a growing circle of collectors. Through each piece, she continues her mission to make the world a brighter, more thoughtful place — one where art serves as both a mirror and a spark, encouraging people to pause, connect, and feel more deeply.
