Artist Statement

Dwight (Dee Jay) Smith

As an animator, my works strive to represent my interests in a multitude of

different areas. Exploration of various cultural traditions, fears about myself as an

individual, an artist, and as a professional, positive and negative experiences with others,

both real and imagined, and life molding endeavors I’ve undertaken as an American

growing up in various parts of the country. I like working with multiple formats and

enjoy experimenting outside of my chosen comfort zone. I feel that animation allows for

a level of expression and personalization that no other media can quite accomplish.

Through my work, I wish to achieve a level of individual satisfaction and mainstream

effectiveness that will allow me to change the place animation holds in American culture.

The scope of my art has evolved from simple journals full of popular cartoons and

characters, to an ever-maturing style of my own. Most of my pieces are aimed at creating

immediate visual interest in the viewer, whether through an identifiable style or

noteworthy subject, followed by deeper exploration into subdued themes and

implications, such as my relationship with my cultural background. My interests are

centered on character based animation and illustration. Forays into contemporary works
deal with issues both political and personal. Topics span issues from religious and race

relations, to current trends, including fashion, popular media, and subculture. Even

present day oil concerns, and personal matters, encompassing my married life and future

family plans are within my realm of scrutiny. My styling consists of hand drawn

characters that are digitized with heavy inks and varied line weights, graffiti and urban

inspired lettering and scenery, and a penchant for outlandish concept and storytelling.

My most recent pieces represent the diversity of both style and subject in my art.

The first, entitled “Dynamism of a Wooden Breaker” is an exploration into the actual

feel and depiction of motion, an indispensable ability needed for animation. Done in

reference to the work of Giacomo Balla, one of the founders of the Futurism movement

in 1910 (which was instrumental to the creation of animation), my piece is an overlaid

sequence of photos of a fundamental tool that artists the world over recognize, the

wooden reference mannequin. He is posed in a progression of freestanding gestures

indicative of the execution of breakdancing techniques. The images have been extracted

from their backgrounds, overlapped, made to be slightly translucent, and set together

against a field of pure white. This piece uses strong visual cues in conjunction with a

concise directional flow of interest and action to guide the viewer’s eye in a strong sweep

across the image, connoting both physical and suggested motion. Another piece, which is

at present being completed, is an animation which deals with graffiti as both a medium

and a vehicle. “Overspray” (working title) tells the story of two separate taggers (graffiti
artist) and the adventures surrounding one night of tagging (painting). The story pays

special attention to how two unconnected individuals can quickly become unified through

art, and furthermore; how that connection can forge other, more meaningful relationships.

The animation is entirely hand drawn and in adherence to traditional Disney/ Warner

Bros. methodology, yet the style is easily recognized as my own. My hope is that this

piece will shed a positive, yet unconventional light on graffiti as an art form, and not just

another iteration of rebellious vandalism.

My future goals are now aimed at acquiring the skills and knowledge that will

allow me to successfully run an animation studio. I first and foremost want to hone my

abilities in animation and better my understanding of industry standard animation

software and processes. With respect for my art, my next piece is a collaborative, client-

based effort between myself and six other animators. We are constructing an animated

spot for Motown Records. We have undertaken the creation of a traditional piece that will

be used for the release of “Rich Girl,” a song on the second LP of a group known as

Down with Webster, and encompasses dynamic, over exaggerated action, in conjunction

with a mix of two and three dimensional character/ space relations. I am also presently

expanding my software knowledge into Adobe Flash and Autodesk Maya, as well as

ToonBoom Pro and various HTML applications, in order to make myself employable to a

broader field of clients, as well as better my personal repertoire. When all is said and

done, I hope to make a strong mark on the world through my individual style and voice, a
mark that will be long lasting and hopefully help elevate animation to a level within both

societal and artistic communities that many animators world wide feel it deserves.