Written by Anna Itkonen
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Smith & Brooks is a collaboration between Kerrin Smith and Jacky Brooks, friends and artists, sometimes opposites but always complementary to each other.
“I have a background in fine art, and Jacky is great with illustration and design. Two different areas focusing on the same subject matter,” Kerrin said.
Jacky Brooks and Kerrin Smith | aka Smith & Brooks
“We are both greenies and love nature. It is really fascinating to see both of our worlds blend. Working with another person is much more enjoyable and introduces a different perspective,” Jacky continued. “We are inspired by the natural world, particularly the unique Australian landscape, flora and fauna. We are passionate about improving our sustainability as artists.”
Virid Form I | 64.5 x 79.8cm, Acrylic on canvas
Both Kerrin and Jacky have worked in the creative industry for many years. Kerrin worked with photography until a decade ago when she got her Diploma in Media and included video in her work. Parallel to this, she worked quietly in painting and drawing, focusing on portraiture. “Over the pandemic, I focused a lot on self-portraits due to severe illness and isolation that came with an autoimmune diagnosis in 2020. I reconnected with nature during that time, and my focus shifted more and more to the natural environment.”
Menziesii Moment | 64.5 x 79.8cm, Acrylic & pen on canvas
Jacky has worked in the photographic and digital printing industry since university and regularly collaborated with other artists. “As a digital artist, I have always had a bit of a sense of fun and playfulness in my work. In recent years, I have moved my focus from graphic design to landscape design. My landscape is now my canvas.”
Evening Calytrix | 95 x 126.2cm, Acrylic & pen on linen
Working together has taught the friends about art, themselves, each other and different perspectives. “You have to put your own ideas aside and focus on common goals and interests. You cannot get that awareness if you work alone,” Kerrin said. “I feel like we have the same love of art. And we have both connected more intensely with nature during the pandemic. Me in the sense of healing my body and Jacky in the sense of healing the earth and the soil.”
Artworks: Tallowwood Still & Tallowwood Moment
“[When working together], I talk to Jacky about how she felt when looking at a certain object. My portraiture was from my perspective, but this is how someone else experiences life,” Kerrin described. “One of my things is that I do everything too quickly. Jacky takes time to make her decisions, which is a gift for me. It reminds me to slow down. It is irritating in a good way. When we message, eight are from me, one from her. She will read my message, take it in and consider her response. She will think everything through first.”
Mountain Blue Song | 79.8 x 79.8cm, Acrylic & pen on canvas
“I like to think of myself as the one holding the whip,” Jacky balances. “When she is unsure, I push along and make decisions. She is working so fast that I find it hard to keep up. I have to really focus on the work and less on the words.”
Banksia Moment I | 79.8 x 79.8cm, Acrylic & pen on canvas
Their collaborative art conveys a calmness that comes from being in the natural environment and depicts the shared love of repetition, patterns, layers and mixed media. It all becomes apparent in naturally occurring patterns like the banksia seed pods or the squiggly lines on gum trees.
The creative process is delicately slow and deliberatively detailed. “We do a lot of travel, photographing native plants with a focus on understanding and experiencing the species as an individual. We want each one to be identified and appreciated individually. We go through the photographs, shapes, designs, and endemic species and expand our own knowledge. We want to share the value of diversity.”
Canberra Blue Still II | 79.8 x 79.8cm, Acrylic & pen on canvas
Much time is spent on colour palettes and ensuring that the piece’s design is adaptable to the digital printing process, the line and brushwork, the selected mediums, the support used and whether they are scalable to different sizes. A strong focus is on the concept and composition.
Banksia Moment II | 79.8 x 79.8cm, Acrylic & pen on canvas
“Kerrin can be very old school, cutting out my photos, rearranging and gluing the pieces. Whatever allows us to play with the shapes,” Jacky said. “Once this is done, it is my turn to do a lot of art reproduction and colour matching.”
And while the creative process is slow, averaging three months per artwork, the whole process is based on collaboration. “The most important part is our conversation.”
Ovata Form I | 80 x 63.2cm, Acrylic & cotton thread on canvas
When asked what is next, the discussion turns to wearable or functional art with a sustainable flair and cyclical economic dreams and goals; art created on upcycled and recycled objects or natural cotton fibres, homegrown and homespun.
