Jenny Smith

Jenny Smith was born in Auckland, New Zealand. She graduated successfully with a BA at the University of Otago; an MA (Hons) at the University of Auckland and an LLB at the University of Auckland. Aside from her professional qualifications she has undergone an extensive study of glass participating in intensive glass workshops and other specialist courses. These include intensive glass workshops with English artist Colin Reid in 2005 and English glass artist David Reekie in 2003. Smith's glass work has been part of solo and group exhibitions in Australia, New Zealand, France, United Kingdom and the United States. In 2005 and 2007 she was a finalist in the Ranamok Glass Prize, Sydney. In 2004 and 2006 she was the recipient of the People's Choice Award in the NZSAG Members' Exhibition, Wanganui and Auckland. In 2007 she received a commission for the making of the Mayor of Auckand's Community Safety Awards. Jenny Smith's work is represented in public, corporate and private collections nationally and internationally.

Jenny Smith draws inspiration from the textures in our environment. Abstracted patterns of nature are translated into glass to convey a sense of timeless strength. In her series entitled 'Silk Road: Patterns of Time', textures, folds and colours of silk are translated into glass to evoke a sense of form and pattern in our environment. They convey the nature of these ever-recurring patterns and a feeling of inevitability. She has recently developed a new series of sculptural forms for indoor/outdoor use entitled the 'Totem Series', where iconic patterns evocative of our landscape are cast into glass, conveying a sense of history and place.