InSilence

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Art Gallery







artist statement

The installations and artworks of In Silence
focus on the vulnerability, beauty, strength,

and powerlessness of our environment—
specifically concerning the threats posed

to countless life forms and ecosystems
at the hands of human activity. Focusing
on the fundamental aspects of life as we
know it, Smithers-Crump’s translucent works

address the importance of water for all
life forms on earth, offering an alluring, yet

critical lens into our shared reliance on
vital natural resources.

Mirroring the fragility of our natural
environment as well as the aesthetic

nature of water in various states,
Smithers-Crump uses Plexiglas as the
primary material in her works. This extremely
versatile material functions as a substrate
for painting, drawing, and mark making,
but also maintains a variety of sculptural
characteristics. In her practice, Smithers-
Crump has cut it into shapes, bent it
using heat, etched the surface, and even
chemically fused various pieces together
to create larger, site-specific works.
She hopes that her works contribute to
an ongoing dialogue about the many
conditions, attitudes, and institutions that
threaten our silent, bountiful planet..



Gathering
2016

Acrylic and oil on transcluscent Plexiglas
115 x 144 x 5 inches

Gathering
is an installation of over

2,000 plexiglas forms,
explores the ocean as
the engine that drives
the food chain. Research

now reveals that due
to global warming the
oceans are experiencing
a 40% drop in plankton.
The furnace-like central

mass of this swirling
composition teams with
planktonic forms glowing

with intense reds and
oranges. Under the

encircling translucent
waves surrounding
this congregation,
predatory forms

appear to be herding
the interior shapes for
harvest — emphasizing
how the predator/prey

relationship fuels life.

Gathering (detail)
2016

Acrylic and oil on transcluscent Plexiglas
115 x 144 x 5 inches



Surge
2014
Acrylic on translucent Plexiglas
93 x 82 x 5 inches

The installation
Surge

stems from the symbiotic
relationship between
microscopic fungi and

plant roots; some fungi,
for example, aid root
systems to harness
100 times more water.
Surge references
this relationship with

translucent strands that
spiral out and sprawl

across the wall, paying
homage to our vital
forests and their vast

network of fungi, roots
and canopy.

Surge (detail)
2014

Acrylic on translucent Plexiglas
93 x 82 x 5 inches



In Silence
2014

Acrylic on transcluscent Plexiglas and wood
98 x 72 x 36 inches

In Silence
suggests a moment of
consecration: a hand-
carved wooden bowl,
placed on a circular

dark plexiglas floor
structure resembling

ice, collects the
melting waters from

the rotating “ice
clad” hanging vessels.

The frozen waters of
winter promise new life.
Hundreds of hand cut
units of plexiglas were

chemically bonded
to create the three
suspended nest like
forms. As glass is easily
broken, this installation
reminds us of the fragility
of life on our planet and
of the importance of
water to its survival.

In Silence (detail)
2014

Acrylic on transcluscent Plexiglas and wood
98 x 72 x 36 inches



Passage
2014

Etched translucent Plexiglas, mylar, salt
20 x 72 x 35 inches

Passage
is a membranous like
vessel, which suggests
notions of airy life forms
with limited locomotion

and provides a
metaphor for the

precariousness
of all existence.
Etched with a variety
of tools, the entire
surface of the plexiglas
references the veined
patterns often evident
in translucent organisms
such as one sees in
jellyfish and nudibranchs.
The tissue like quality of
the alternating sanded
and clear plexiglas
allows light to pass
through and cast
shadows that mirror the
etched veining. White
sea salt is applied in
drifts to the interior of
this form and creates a
glowing appearance.

Passage (detail)
2014

Etched translucent Plexiglas, mylar, salt
20 x 72 x 35 inches



In Motion
2016

Acrylic on translucent Plexiglas
144 x 115 x 6 inches

In Motion
explores two themes

found throughout
nature: One theme
references the ability

of an organism’s
locomotion in its natural

habitat relative to the
uncontrollable forces
that effect its movement
such as air and water
currents. The other theme
explores the predator/
prey relationship and

in particular that of
invasive species. The
installation is created
with over 200 hand

cut, shaped and
painted recycled
units of plexiglas. The
juxtaposition of the
larger and smaller
forms is deliberately

ambiguous; the
relationship between
the two can either be
symbiotic or predatory.

In Motion (detail)
2016

Acrylic on translucent Plexiglas
144 x 115 x 6 inches



Speechless
2017

Acrylic on translucent Plexiglas
72 x 96 x 60 inches

Inspired by coral reefs
threatened by global warming,

Speechless
embodies countless hand
cut units of plexiglas that are
thermally shaped, chemically

bonded and painted.
Suspended from the ceiling

this artwork branches out
and engages the viewer to
experience this installation from
many vantage points. Parts of
the structure are left intentionally

uncolored to heighten an
awareness of coral bleaching.
This is a condition that occurs
when water temperatures rise,
causing zooxanthellae, a vital
photosynthetic algae, to leave

the tissue of the corals.
If the coral polyps go too
long without zooxanthellae,
the coral reefs die. In turn the
reef’s ecosystems will become
adversely impacted and
biodiversity will suffer. Speechless
underscores this precarious
state of the coral reefs by using
translucent plexiglas to create
fragile glass like forms that seem
easily shattered and function as

a metaphor for their
acute vulnerability.

Speechless (detail)
2017

Acrylic on translucent Plexiglas
72 x 96 x 60 inches



Cloud Forest/Air Roots
2017

Oil paint,oil bar, acrylic, and prismacolor on translucent Plexiglas
108 x 96 x 4 inches

The earth has so many
diverse forests of

staggering beauty and
I have tried throughout

my life to experience
them first hand by

visiting and hiking in
them. Last year I had
an opportunity to go

to several of Costa
Rica’s delicate Cloud
Forests famous for their

biodiversity.
Climate change is
affecting these fragile
ecosystems and I
wanted to create
artwork and installations
that might add to the
dialogue and create a
greater awareness and
appreciation of these
impacted and delicate
environments. The series
of circular paintings on

plexiglas called
Cloud Forests Lenses
focus on the misty and

often dreamy quality
that one finds in the
shifting clouds and plant

life in the canopy.

Cloud Forest (detail)
2017

Oil paint,oil bar, acrylic, and prismacolor on translucent Plexiglas
108 x 96 x 4 inches

Installed in juxtaposition
to the circular Cloud
Forests Lenses,
Air Roots
references the
epiphytes and giant
trees in the canopy
that drop their long
roots to the forest
floor. Composed of
over 200 hand cut,
shaped, painted and
chemically bonded
units of recycled
plexiglas, this artwork
draws its inspiration

from these roots systems
that are one of the
most distinguishing
characteristics of the
Cloud Forest.

Air Roots (detail)
2017

Oil paint, oil bar, acrylic, and prismacolor on translucent Plexiglas
108 x 96 x 4 inches



Parallels of Perception
1999

Acrylic on translucent Plexiglas
53 x 53 inches

Inspired by the
“Big Bang” theory,

globe flowers,
fireworks and geodes

to name just a few,
Parallels of Perception

examines the repetition
of a natural pattern
found abundantly
on earth and in the
universe. Wanting to
create the illusion of
deep space, I cut
this shaped plexiglas
form and painted it

almost entirely on the
reverse side. The front
side retains it’s glossy
reflective appearance
and the illusion of depth
is greatly accentuated.

Parallels of Perception (detail)
1999

Acrylic on translucent Plexiglas
53 x 53 inches



biography

Margaret Smithers-Crump is a Canadian artist based
in Houston, Texas. She received her BFA in Painting from
Miami University, Oxford, Ohio in 1973. For the last twenty
years, Smithers-Crump has been exploring the creative
potential of Plexiglas, in both painting and installations.
Smithers-Crump has had a series of solo and group
exhibitions throughout Texas and the United States
including her recent one person exhibitions at the Pearl
Fincher Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, TX, Galveston Art
Center, Galveston,TX; Imperial Center for the Arts and
Sciences, Rocky Mount, NC; Penn College of Technology
- Penn State, Williamsport, PA; and Lawndale Art Center,
Houston,TX. Additionally, she was one of eight artists
selected from across North America for a solo exhibition at Manifest Gallery in Cincinnati,
OH, in 2016. Her one person exhibition, “In Silence” was also on view at the Beeville Art
Museum in Texas on April of 2017.

LSC-Kingwood Fine Art Gallery
20000 Kingwood Drive

Kingwood, TX 77339-3801
Phone 281.312.1534
LoneStar.edu/Kingwood

Editorial Design: Veronica Valarino