Kris Smith

From about 1987 to 1999, I rented various studios, the last one being Studio 15. My studio practice included limited edition silk screen printing, painting, photography, graphic design, and web design (prior to that being a 'Yellow Pages' category).

In 1999, I gave up the studio (along with others) to make way for the setting up of Newcastle Art Space Gallery. I sold donated artworks in the Newcastle Art Space fundraising auction in early 2000. Together we raised over $17,000 for the setting up of the gallery. I have a letter of thanks from the then director, Kerrie Coles. I exhibited in the first exhibition in the gallery in October 2000.

In the first NAS show, I exhibited what I believe to be the first digital painting done in Newcastle (using a digital stylus). In 2001, I had an exhibition of digital photos in NAS called Time Lapse. This was a seminal exhibition in terms of my art practice. I sold 27 works from the show, and it inspired a new direction which still influences aspects of my current work.