Caitlyn Smith

I find animals to have a unique way of expressing emotions and ideas that explore different perspectives of our world. In my work, I aim to add a layer of depth that encourages viewers to look closer by incorporating one deliberately “odd” aspect. My pieces feature groups of animals with a single unusual element, creating a point of emphasis on why this seemingly normal animal is struggling or acting outside the norm. I use this to reflect isolation, or the moments when someone is ignored or when others are unwilling to acknowledge or act on an underlying issue.

This collection brings together pieces that explore different forms of isolation. Some address how ignorance allows others to be harmed, while others depict how people become separated because of their luck or seemingly “positive” differences, creating barriers. Placid, Choose a Path, Dive, and Tangled address the negative aspects of isolation. Each depicts an animal struggling among others of the same species, yet the others remain completely unaware of its distress. These works represent my perspective on feeling ignored when I feel like I am drowning in my own issues, while everyone else seems to function normally.

On the other hand, Stolen and Savior portray isolation without the element of ignorance, offering a new perspective on how separation can form. These pieces reflect experiences where people place me on a pedestal or attribute my accomplishments to luck. This creates a different kind of isolation, one that follows success rather than struggle. Both works express that feeling by showing one animal rising above another, with the others watching from below. Even though all the animals belong to the same species, a wide emotional barrier forms, just as people create distance between one another despite sharing the same human nature.

My work often incorporates elements of irony or oddity, like a duck drowning or a goose falling out of the sky, that prompt viewers to think twice. These moments encourage people to look beyond the surface of my work and consider the significance of each unusual detail. In some pieces (Dive, Choose a Path, Stolen, and Savior), I use beading to emphasize particular aspects that highlight the oddity and create stronger juxtaposition. I’ve also experimented with color to highlight the surreal or odd elements, as seen in my work Tangled, where I used monochromatic tones and complementary contrasts to accentuate the surreal aspect. Across the collection, these techniques work together to draw attention to the animal that is different, reinforcing the importance of recognizing isolation and separation.

Ultimately, my works invite viewers to reflect on the quiet struggles of isolation and overlooked distances that are a part of life and to reconsider what we notice or choose to ignore about one another.