This is me  at my workdesk

Self portrait 2010 Mixed media
41cm x 51cm

Self portrait 2010 Crayon
41cm x 41cm

Self portrait 2003 Acrylic
26cm x 34cm

My name is Karin Smith. I have been finding excuses to do art all my life and now I am finally happy to define myself as a 'proper' artist. I live in Bathurst in the Central West area of New South Wales. I do art in my spare time and work towards exhibitions, art shows and commissions. I am largely self taught, the only training I have really had was a fantastic semester at Bathurst TAFE in 2003.

I work in a wide variety of media using recycled material where possible. I make glass brooches, lino prints, 2d and 3d mosaic, and bronze and stainless steel casting. My work is representational. I love working with organic shapes such as the human form and pears.

I do my best work when I don't think, and just allow the creative process to emerge from wherever it is in my being. This makes my work spontaneous and light hearted. I also want it to be accessible by being easy to understand, fun and affordable.

I have exhibited and sold my work at exhibitions, art shows, Bathurst Art Gallery community exhibitions and my brooches are for sale at the Bathurst Regional Art Gallery. You can always contact me via the web site.

I have won a number of prizes including:

• 2018: Winner, Waste2Art Community - 2 Dimensional for the Bathurst area and then the work was highly commended at the regional competition in Narromine
• 2016: Finalist Warringah Art Prize Small Sculpture section
• 2010: Highly Commended for the mixed media self portrait (above) at the Bathurst Regional Gallery Portrait Competition (Bathurst Archies)
• 2007: Winner, Waste2Art Open - 2 Dimensional for the Bathurst area and then the work was highly commended at the regional competition in Dubbo
• 2004: Winner, Artwork Not Elsewhere Specified at the Royal Bathurst Show (total prize money $2.00, but VERY prestigious)

My bronze figures are quite small and impressionistic. They go well in intimate spaces such as a desk or kitchen windowsill. A group of them together really does look like a group of people.

The glass brooches and pendants, painted on recycled glass from louvre windows, are very popular because there is a wide variety of quirky images, and each is unique. Many people also display the badges as mini paintings in small spaces on a wall. A blob of blue-tac works well to stick it down.

Lino printing is a way for me to create reusable, spontaneous and different 'drawings'. The cutting process is like drawing for me, quite meditative, and I enjoy the mental challenge of having to reverse the image and using just black and white with the potential to 'colour in'.

A while ago I decided to do lino prints in postcard size. I thought it would be interesting to find something unique about a place and create an image that easily identified a location. I have ended up doing quite a few images of Bathurst (where I live) as well as other images that have inspired me. This medium also allows me to create postcards. Sending postcards or including them on presents uses one quarter of the paper that traditional cards or letters use and are a fun way to communicate with friends. My website includes most of the postcards I have done over the last few years as well as some new ones.

A fun theme for lino prints is 'urban wildlife' starting with prints of slightly kitcsh garden statues but it can also include many of the things we take for granted in our urban environment.

My website showcases my work. Thank you for looking.

My work is available at T.Arts Gallery 75 Keppel St Bathurst or email me.