TORN: Together and Apart
by Hope Anita Smith
January 21 – March 4, 2018

Branch Gallery is excited to announce its upcoming exhibition, TORN: Together and Apart, featuring work by author and illustrator Hope Anita Smith. TORN will consist of paper collage illustrations from Smith’s recent books, Mother Poems and My Daddy Rules the World: Poems about Dads. The opening reception is on Sunday, January 21 from 2pm - 4pm. There will also be a short reading by Smith on January 21 at 3pm.
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Using paper as her medium, Smith presents family relationships through layers of ripped paper. Various colors and textures depict skin, clothing, and furniture. Figures take shape through frayed edges; each tear in the paper becomes a shoulder, an ear, or a hand. Parents embrace their children, play games with them, or teach them to ride a bike. Smith’s imagery is emotionally stimulating and powerful reminders of one’s own personal relationships. TORN will be on view through Sunday, March 4, 2018.

​Full Press Release
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About Hope Anita Smith

Hope Anita Smith is an award-winning author, with many published books including: The Way a Door Closes, Keeping the Night Watch, Mother Poems, and My Daddy Rules the World. Smith’s first foray into illustration with Mother Poems led to her second illustrated book, My Daddy Rules the World. The images, done in torn paper, are powerful and emotionally stimulating. Smith’s company, Inked Well Words, has her teaching writing "wordshops" to writers of every age. She encourages her students to find their 'voice' using paint chips, random words, found objects, magazine pictures. Hope Anita Smith was born and raised in Akron, Ohio and currently resides in Beverly Hills, California.
hopeanitasmith.com