About
Biography
Daisy May Smith was born on February 28th, 1981, and raised mostly in a poorer area of Huntsville, Alabama; however, in her formative years, her parents moved back and forth, a large portion of the time living with family members in Huntsville, AL, while at other times with family in Louisville, Kentucky. She currently resides with her husband, three children, and large furry family in Huntsville, AL.
Smith was the first in her family to graduate high school, receiving her Advanced Diploma in 1999 from S.R. Butler High School in Huntsville, AL. As a non-traditional student, she received her BA in English with a Technical Writing and Editing Concentration in 2013 from the University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAHuntsville). It was during her English studies that she discovered her love for producing visual arts, and she is currently pursuing her BFA with a concentration in Painting and Drawing, from UAHuntsville.
To date, she has exhibited works in Else-ing Elsewhere at Josephine Sculpture Park in Frankfort, KY, as well as in Beautiful Beginnings, the Annual Juried Student Art Show (2014-2016), and a Student Exhibition at UAHuntsville. Her works have been featured in the literary magazine, The Writer's Block, and in the Women’s and Gender Studies News at UAHuntsville. Her honors and awards include the Erzulie Johnson - Veasey Memorial Award, Best Social Commentary Award, and Women’s Studies Outstanding Emerging Woman Artist, to name a few.
Statement
Growing up, I have often felt like an outcast among outcasts – a feeling that still lingers today. The expectations within my less than working class family are slim to none, especially if you are a girl. Women of my “pedigree” are supposed to be pretty, have babies, get married, watch daytime television, and read smutty romance novels. My curious, haphazard, opinionated, defiant, and independent ways repeatedly put me at odds with the rest of my family. As a first generation high school and college graduate, a single parent by choice (for a time), and a woman with a lengthy employment history and future career goals, I have often been looked down upon, made fun of, and considered wasteful in terms of both my life and the costs of my college tuition. While most may consider my family to be the untouchables of society, my family tends to ostracize me for my “inappropriate” behavior within our familial dynamic: my drive, determination, and desire to learn sets me apart from the rest of my family, yet my upbringing, socioeconomic background, and instilled gender restrictions impair my ability to successfully integrate into the larger sophisticated society.
Bereft of a sense of belonging, I have spent most of my life trying to find my niche. What I have learned is to take what suits me from not only this situation, but from each experience I have and tidbit of knowledge I gain, and to mesh them together into something that makes sense for me. In my work, I explore my identity in regards to what has worked and continues to work for me: my choices, interests, and influences. Just as I have arranged my life as an amalgamation of things that are helpful to me, I produce my work in much the same manner.
Experimentation is an important part of my artistic practice. I do not have a preferred medium that I work in; instead, I pick and choose between painting, drawing, photography, digital manipulation, mixed media, and printmaking to suit the subject matter and the idea or concept I wish to convey. My work is interesting to me, because not only do I fluctuate between mediums, I also try new materials and mixtures to produce positive – and sometimes negative – results in my work. For me, even the negative results are important, because I view each failure as an opportunity to learn. I rarely feel like I am stuck in a rut, since the subject matter, mediums used, and materials I employ constantly change.
My work generally contains layers of materials and meaning, built up in a way that expressively uses color, mark making, composition, texture, light, shape, and movement. These combinations are used to convey the subject matter and mood, tone, or emotion I wish to evoke. I often have a specific goal in mind, but the plans for each piece evolve as I am working. While some of my work is decisively beautiful, others are beautifully ugly: all are purposefully thought provoking. The aesthetics, like the materials, are determined by the overall impact I wish the piece to achieve. However, in every case, my work shares a sliver of my life, and is an expression of my different identities, interests, and influences.
3210 Bluecrest St.
Huntsville, AL 35805
(256) 658-0893 dms0021@uah.edu
EDUCATION
2016 - BFA Candidate, Painting and Drawing, University of Alabama in Huntsville, Huntsville, AL
2013 - BA English, Technical Writing and Editing, University of Alabama in Huntsville, Huntsville, AL,
Summa Cum Laude
EXHIBITIONS
2016 - Annual Juried Student Art Show, Wilson Hall Gallery, University of Alabama in Huntsville,
Huntsville, AL (Juror: Eli VandenBerg)
Student Exhibition, UAH Nursing Building, University of Alabama in Huntsville, Huntsville, AL (invitational)
2015 - UAH Annual Holiday Show and Sale, Charger Union, University of Alabama in Huntsville, Huntsville, AL
Portfolio Review, Southern Graphics Council Internation Conference, Knoxville, TN
Annual Juried Student Art Show, Wilson Hall Gallery, University of Alabama in Huntsville, Huntsville, AL
(Juror: Virginia Griswald)
2014 - UAH Annual Holiday Show and Sale, Charger Union, University of Alabama in Huntsville, Huntsville, AL
Beautiful Beginnings, Wilson Hall Gallery, University of Alabama in Huntsville, Huntsville, AL (invitational)
Annual Juried Student Art Show, Wilson Hall Gallery, University of Alabama in Huntsville,
Huntsville, AL (Juror: Steve Miller)
Else-ing Elsewhere, Josephine Sculpture Park, Frankfort, KY
2013 - UAH Annual Holiday Show and Sale, Salmon Library, University of Alabama in Huntsville,
Huntsville, AL
AWARDS AND HONORS
2016 - Erzulie Johnson - Veasey Memorial Award, University of Alabama in Huntsville, Huntsville, AL
2015 - Research Horizons, Salmon Library, University of Alabama in Huntsville, Huntsville, AL
Best Social Commentary Award, University of Alabama in Huntsville, Huntsville, AL
Student Leadership Award, University of Alabama in Huntsville, Huntsville, AL
Women’s Studies Outstanding Emerging Woman Artist, University of Alabama in Huntsville,
Huntsville, AL
2014 - 16 Shelbie J. King Scholarship, University of Alabama in Huntsville, Huntsville, AL
2013 - Departmental Honors in English, University of Alabama in Huntsville, Huntsville, AL
ORGANIZATIONS AND HONOR SOCIETIES
2014-present
University of Alabama in Huntsville Student Art Club President 2015 and Treasurer 2014
Kappa Pi International Honorary Art Fraternity
Phi Kappa Phi Multidisciplinary Collegiate Honor Society
Sigma Alpha Pi National Society of Leadership and Success
2011-present
Sigma Tau Delta International English Honor Society
2010-present
Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society
2009-present
Sigma Kappa Pi Fraternity
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Molly Johnson, “Women’s and Gender Studies Students Receive Honors and Awards,” Women’s and Gender Studies News, Huntsville, AL, 25.1 (2014): 6.
The Writer’s Block: Expanding Horizons Mar. 2016: 11, 14, 15, 34, 37. Print.
RELATED EXPERIENCE
2016 - BA Exit Show Committee, University of Alabama in Huntsville, Huntsville, AL
2015-present
Student Specialist II, Wilson Hall Gallery and Print Shop, University of Alabama in Huntsville,
Huntsville, AL
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Organized, stocked, and maintained print studio
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Built and installed studio fixtures
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Prepared materials for printmaking demos and students
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Installed exhibits in galleries