Artist brings life to sacred spaces, religious icons

Happenstance changed the focus of Alec Smith’s career.

He worked as a carpenter to help pay his way through the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. After graduating with a degree in psychology and philosophical perspectives on nature, and with a strong interest in art and drawing, Smith painted murals and worked as a decorative painter.

Nine years ago, Smith, who lives in St. Paul, contracted with a decorative finish company on a restoration project at Holy Redeemer in Marshall, about 165 miles southwest of the Twin Cities. Painting new plaster over the church’s water-damaged walls, he also paid attention to historic detail: Emmanuel Masqueray, the French-American architect who designed the Cathedral of St. Paul in St. Paul and the Basilica of St. Mary in Minneapolis, also designed Holy Redeemer church.

During the project, the pastor asked Smith and his boss about painting angels high on the sanctuary walls. Smith suggested painting a 16-foot angel on each side of the altar. Parish leaders agreed and Smith proceeded.

“This church renovation was an inspiring opportunity to get a sense of the impact that artwork, architecture and design can have in a sacred space,” Smith said.

It also served as his entry into a new career opportunity. Word spread about Smith’s beautiful artwork and artistic gifts, and that led to more work in liturgical painting and sculpture.

Less than a year later, St. Mary’s University of Minnesota in Winona called and commissioned him to paint large oil portraits of the Virgin Mary and St. John Baptist de La Salle for its St. Thomas More chapel. The university also asked him to create a 6-foot-tall crucifix cast in bronze to place between the paintings, and later, a life-size bronze sculpture of St. Teresa of Kolkata — Mother Teresa — placed along a wooded pathway on campus.

Smith created a bronze bust installed late last year of Blessed Christian Brother James Miller for Cretin-Derham Hall High School in St. Paul. And a life-size bronze sculpture depicting St. John Baptist de La Salle and a second bronze sculpture showing a Christian brother seated on a bench grace Lewis University near Chicago.

Life-size bronze sculptures can take up to a year from start to finish, Smith said. That includes client meetings on expectations and proposals and several long production stages. The fabrication process has remained essentially unchanged for thousands of years, he said, and cast bronze sculptures can last for millennia.

Smith, 41, who describes himself as a spiritual person, does not practice a particular religion, said he primarily focuses on artwork that incorporates the human figure in sculpture, paintings and drawings.

He finds special enjoyment in creating religious art, and appreciates the imagery and history behind the visuals and figures he creates. Before creating the Mother Teresa sculpture, he studied who she was, her influence and the inspiration she provides. The context where a piece of art is installed also plays a large role in its design, he said.

“The artwork should transform the environment with its presence,” he said, “hopefully enhancing the space.”

Perhaps most of all, Smith values the interaction with people that his creations compel. “The greatest reward for me after completing a large figurative sculpture project is when I … (can) see or hear how the sculptures are providing a platform for the viewer to develop their own relationships with the artwork,” Smith said. “This tells me I did my job and feel as though I have made a contribution.”

As one example, Smith said he heard stories about the impact of the statue of Mother Teresa. One graduate wondered what to do after leaving the college, and while walking through campus, she stumbled across the sculpture. Smith heard that the graduate was inspired to pursue a vocation in which she could give back to others.

“If I’m lucky, I feel like I’ve accomplished what I set out to do and, hopefully, the piece is going to take on its own life and people develop their own relationship with it,” Smith said. “It’s a fascinating job for me for sure.”

Now, Smith is exploring “funerary art” as another focus. He describes it as using figurative representation to honor an individual or the human condition. The artwork could be bronze, stone or wood — any material that holds up to the elements — made into freestanding figurative sculptures or bas-relief scenes on gravestones or urns.

To view Smith’s work, visit alecmsmith.com.