Today we’d like to introduce you to Seraphim Smith.
Hi Seraphim, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I started painting outdoor murals in 2020. I won a contract with the City of Kinston – I was one of eight finalists out of 170+ applicants. My first outdoor mural was of a giant okra. From there, I went to Mount Olive and got a contract to paint giant pickle jars on a prominent wall in their downtown. I have now painted a total of 10 murals. They are in Kinston, Durham, Beaufort, Clinton, Pink Hill, Snow Hill, La Grange, and Mount Olive. I am getting ready to paint another mural in Snow Hill this spring.
My first indoor murals were at Duke Divinity and Duke Law School back in 2005 and 2008. I earned my BFA in 2004 from Middle Tennessee State University. When I am not painting, I am baking, and I work for PBS North Carolina as a producer and filmographer for North Carolina Weekend. I love to report on bakeries and mom & pop businesses.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It has not always been a smooth road. I worked in restaurants along the way to supplement my income until I was able to work full-time as an artist and producer. I am a bit of a perfectionist, and I work in layers – this translates into lots of time spent on my craft.
Drawing people is really difficult. When I have had to draw people for a mural, I am usually embarrassed at how they appear until I am finished with them. And that is part of the big challenge – I pray a lot when I am painting for help with my inspiration and painting execution. Part of the challenge is being ok with a painting looking unfinished and out in the public. I have to have faith in my vision and plug away at it without worrying about what people are thinking. The early and last stages are the most fun. The middle stage of painting is the most challenging.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I paint murals, and my favorite subjects are food and flowers. People know me for my punchy, bold colors and for my originality. My most well-known mural is my mural of pickle jars in Mount Olive. That is one I am really proud of. I had a hard time figuring out what to paint, and in exasperation, I thought, I might as well paint a bunch of jars of pickles, and that was the aha! moment. I love that they let me paint a building in Mount Olive bright pink, which is the perfect color to put green pickle jars against. It blows my mind every spring when I see people posing with the pickle jars at the Pickle Fest. Mt Olive Pickle Co asked me to make a giant 3D jar that they lower their New Year’s Eve pickle into every year. I like to sit nearby and watch people interact with my artwork. They look so happy, and that makes me happy.
I am also fond of the artwork that I do for Recovery Together ENC. Recovery Together ENC is a community program in Eastern North Carolina that helps people who are struggling with drug or alcohol addiction get support and rebuild their lives. It mainly serves people in Lenoir, Greene, and Wayne counties (including Kinston). In my second mural with them, I led a workshop in which program providers painted a section of the mural. I look forward to painting my third mural this spring with them. We put a QR code on those murals so that people can learn more about the program and get help for loved ones or themselves.
One of the things that I absolutely love about painting in a community is becoming a part of it temporarily. I get to see people who work nearby on a routine – they come by and say hello. After a while, people are kind of like characters- the bicycle man, the woman who talks to herself, the insurance salesman who wears spiffy ties and crisp Oxford shirts. The woman who works at the nearby museum. The chef who cooks delicious Thai food down the street – I love getting to talk with them because sometimes painting for hours on end can get boring, even though I love it. Talking with the people who pass by gives me something else to think about, and I look forward to seeing the community when I am painting. I love to get praise while I paint – that’s probably a little dumb, but it’s the truth – it makes me feel like what I am doing matters to the people who live there.
I also like to sense a town’s overall personality. I am sensitive, and I am amused when I begin to pick up on the personality of a town – each little town across eastern North Carolina has their own collective personality. I also love going back to visit the towns I have painted in. They ask me, “Where have you been?!?” and I love that. I enjoy going to little cafes covered in paint, and they ask me where I am in my process, and they send me back out with a giant cold drink after I am done eating.
Some other challenges are when it is hot outside or when the mural is primarily in the sun; I am hot-natured, and that is physically difficult. Depending on the direction of the mural, it might be something I primarily work on in the morning or the afternoon to dodge the sun. When I have a mural that is an hour and a half a way or greater in distance, I usually work out a way of staying on site, whether it’s in a dorm or a nice person’s house. Scaffolding is much more difficult to deal with than a boom or scissor lift. A giant scissor lift or a boom lift is my absolute favorite way to paint because it is FUN. I use artist-grade spray paint, Sherwin-Williams, and Rustoleum products for longevity. If it is windy, it just about stops my day. It can cause a lift to sway dangerously and the spray paint to blow back in my face instead of on the wall.
I like to bring my dog with me if the weather is ok for him to be out. He slept on a pad near me when I was painting in Beaufort and that gave me a lot of company. Thankfully, my friend who let me stay with her was ok with my dog staying, too.
Another challenge has been the economy. My paint has nearly doubled in price.
I love all my murals – there is something about each of them that makes them dear to me. I have to love it to make it work. In many ways, I am a problem-solver. I utilize materials to make my murals last a long time. That’s important to me. That is one of the things that sets me apart from others.
What quality or characteristic do you feel is most important to your success?
Persistence and the belief in my ability to carry out my inner vision into the physical world. I also won’t stop working on a mural until it is right. Quality is very important to me.
Pricing:
- • Between $10 and $40 a square foot
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.seraphimsmith.com
- Instagram: @seraphim_smith
- Facebook: @seraphimbsmith
- Youtube: pbsnc.org/watch/nc-weekend
