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Jason Smith's assemblage artwork piece 'Victor' is set to be included in the ArtPrize competition in Grand Rapids and took approximately three months to complete.
Jason Smith's assemblage artwork piece 'Victor' is set to be included in the ArtPrize competition in Grand Rapids and took approximately three months to complete.
Jason Smith's assemblage artwork piece 'Victor' is set to be included in the ArtPrize competition in Grand Rapids and took approximately three months to complete.
Jason Smith's assemblage artwork piece 'Victor' is set to be included in the ArtPrize competition in Grand Rapids and took approximately three months to complete.
BIG RAPIDS — Art dedications often come from unique places and one artist whose work is set to be included in the ArtPrize competition in Grand Rapids created a piece inspired by his own life with children.
Jason Smith first began doing art when the COVID-19 pandemic kept him home in Big Rapids. He initially tried painting before Artworks asked if he had any interest in trying three-dimensional art.
Smith has physically and mentally impairment. He enjoys a good challenge, so he quickly got to work creating ‘Victor,’ a statue made of timepiece parts and gears, entirely by hand.
The project took about three months to complete. The statue lights up by battery power and he spins on the electric-powered stand.
“The inspiration for Victor is a feeling of pride and joy in my three sons,” Smith said. “Being disabled, I'm not able to be around them as much as I would like to be. (Victor) is a reminder that even though we are not there and time is passing by, we still feel that pride and joy and love for our children.”
Smith made the base of the piece out of a wire spool that Consumer’s Energy in Big Rapids donated to the project.
The piece is considered assemblage art, which is a form or medium usually created on a defined substrate that consists of three-dimensional elements projecting out of or from the substrate.
He said he hopes some of his art pieces will live on and be as amazing as he sees his children as.
“I have been at this now just over a year and I feel like I'm getting pretty good at it,” Smith said. “I definitely do art as a therapeutic release for my disabilities. It's the only time that my brain stops running and I can relax.”
‘Victor’ will be available to view and vote for at the downtown Hilton Hotel during the ArtPrize competition in Grand Rapids which runs from Sept. 15 through Oct. 2.
Smith recently partnered with Heather Bowman, head of Park and Recreations in Big Rapids, on a project to paint a few of the AT&T utility boxes in town to improve town a bit cosmetically. The project is waiting on approval from AT&T.
Smith has also shared the idea with Artworks to pass on to artists interested in painting a utility box.
“I have lived here most of my life, and if I have to continue to live here, at least I can make it look nicer,” Smith said. “I have struggled with depression and anxiety my whole life and a horrible back, so it's been hard for me to come back into the open for this. But I needed to do something and get out of my house sometimes.”
For his work on the project, Smith will be first spraying the boxes in spray paint and then covering them in a clear coat similar to a nice paint job on a car.
Smith isn’t sure where his art career will take him but said Artworks was a great place for him to start and learn, and they were accommodating and supportive which he appreciated.
Moving forward, he said some goals would be to get a small plot of land with a garage, a welder and some grinders. After that, Smith said all he would need is scrap steel and art supplies and the possibilities would be endless.
“Art is something I want to do for the rest of my life because it's the only thing when I wake up in the morning that I have energy and passion for,” Smith said. “(Victor), I'm really proud of.”