Gillian Lee Smith
The Lost and the Left Behind
‘The Lost and the Left Behind’ explores connections and memories accumulated, embellished, diminished, sometimes lost, and even rediscovered over time. We are encouraged to consider what we treasure, what we leave behind or discard, and what we want to protect and pass on into the future.
Whilst the work represents and honours our collective heritage, ancestors, and those who have come before us, we are also invited to view ourselves with the same curiosity and reverence as those we hold dear. What if we were to create/recreate (and even imagine!) familiar stories and celebrate our uniqueness – to connect with ourselves, our memories, and our human experience?
Scotland-born artist Gillian Lee Smith explores the lost and found, connection and heritage and the past and how it has shaped us. Having previously worked as a Reminiscence worker with older people, I have developed a fascination with our own stories, where the seemingly ordinary becomes extraordinary. Initially completing a degree in Performance Costume from Edinburgh College of Art, Gillian graduated in 2005 and has rooted her practice in drawing and painting ever since, exhibiting locally and nationally. Living in Northumberland for the past decade, Gillian has found great inspiration in the people, industry and landscape of our local area.
