Smiley's work can be found in public places, gardens, homes, offices, boardrooms, museums and religious settings. He has taught sculpture, worked for many clients and has a reputation for quality and attention to detail. He has travelled extensively. Aside from public work he has produced a large body of personal work in sculpture, painting and drawing for exhibition.
"As a child, seeing reproductions of work by great artists and being struck with wonder that they could make such images, the seed was planted, and in my 20’s I became an artist. Similarly nature is a constant source of inspiration for me, a different magic, and is always a guide or reference point in everything I make."
"My work varies enormously as do the media I work in, because I respond differently to different subjects, situations and ideas, and all of it has altered over time. This is essential for me if I am to remain a participant in the deeply personal act of art. On a bad day I can’t even walk into the studio, on a good one I can’t leave. I believe that most artists have similar experiences."
After his initial art training Smiley worked in sculpture-casting foundries for 15 years. This was followed by a similar length period as a commercial sculptor for arts-related production companies, as well as film, theatre, television and puppetry. During all this time he continued to make his own work.
"Early in my training I discovered that I had a facility with sculpture, that volume and form came relatively easily to me. I knew I had a lot to learn but constant challenge only increased my enthusiasm. Painting grew out of a sculptural need. To better understand 3 dimensional space via drawing I decided to work with, and in, the landscape. Drawing gave way to painting."
"Painting in the landscape among the magpies and bull ants is a mad experience. Sometimes cold others windy or hot, all the while staying focused and passionate about my choice of subject. Studio work is never like this, but I love the chaos of it."
"If you ask me about anything I have made I am unlikely to give a simple answer, because every piece is different and has its own life, not entirely in my control. At a certain point when I stop struggling with a painting or sculpture it begins to make itself, and that is the magic."
Smiley works and lives in Melbourne, Australia.
SMILEY WILLIAMS - SHORT CURRICULUM VITAE
Commissions
Professional Experience
Represented
Exhibitions