Throughout history humans have been fascinated by the ocean and the mysteries of what lies beneath. The fantastical stories of sea monsters, mermaids and other strange aquatic creatures still entertain us today and have been a popular subject of art, literature and film. Dee Smart’s fascination with the underwater marine environment started when she was a young girl. She spent many happy summers with her siblings and childhood companions exploring the Aldinga Reef, 40 kilometres south of Adelaide. ‘I loved the coast line it’s a place where I spent many dreamy hours looking into rock pools, spotting crabs, shark eggs, jelly fish, squid and many more things.’ She remembers squealing hysterically while getting covered in black ink after pulling an angry squid from the water. Now an adult with a children of her own, these wonderful memories have given Smart a unique pictorial language to draw from.

After staring death in the face, Dee Smart a courageous survivor, was contemplating life as she waded through the shallow waters of Culburra beach located on the south coast of NSW. It was here she rekindled her fascination with the complex ecosystem she observed under the shallow water. Thinking how vital the ocean is for the survival of our species, she reflected on her own mortality and was gripped by the fragments of this experience so vividly and forcefully that it restored her sense of what it is to be human. She says, ‘I was watching the water ebb and flow over the rocks and could see the small marine life under the water—it reminded me of my happy childhood memories and I really felt alive again’. This epiphany led her to her studio where she picked up a watercolour brush needing to emulate the subtle fluidity of the water as it lapped over the rocks and seaweed.

Smart began producing a series of exquisite watercolours using delicate controlled brushstrokes absorbing realism into a level of abstraction. There is an element of chance and randomness but this is used very carefully. She has given each subject a sober personality, soothing and peaceful faces stare at you wishing to communicate, there is much in these works to explore.

Dee Smart is a very gifted artist with immense talent; however, her creativity cannot be bound by the limitations of one genre. She understands that freedom is the enemy of creativity which is why in this series of watercolours she has limited herself to the crab and the squid. Pictures of course are surrogates for experience which is why these works are so interesting. Smart has the experience and proves that the only true teacher is nature.

Ken McGregor, 2022

DEE SMART_SUSPENDED EMBRACE_NANDA HOBBS from Stu Spence on Vimeo.