Sally K. Smith

Roll Up Project is pleased to present recent paintings by Sally K. Smith. Smith notes that memory is unclear, often softened or hazy with time, and that the fragments we hold onto naturally overlap with new memories to create a collage of experiences. Her recent paintings feature vignettes that reflect on these overlapping memories, both personal and universal. Smith also captures the changing qualities of light that surround our everyday experiences, from summer’s glimmering yellows to winter twilight’s deep blues, and the orange-to-pink sunsets in between.

The Shortest Day of the Year is Not the Earliest Sunset (2025) – on view in the Harrison Street window – includes a home beside redwood trees at dusk, bassoon players backlit by a sunset, an ancient statue of a woman, a flock of birds, flowing water, fish, and a string of red Volkswagen beetles traversing the canvas. Smith’s personal memories – of a local porch pirate zipping off in a red Beetle, her experiences as a musician, the Rasputin Records billboard in Berkeley, and other observations of beauty from daily life – feel universal, and welcome the viewer into the work, allowing for a variety of interpretations. In The Longest Day is Not the Shortest Sunset (2025), summer scenery includes people at a pool, a flock of birds, a Sankt Hans Aften bonfire at Frederiksborg Castle in Denmark, fish in water, views through windows, a labyrinth, and a trio of women riding a bike around the edges of the canvas. An ancient goddess also emerges in shades of green and yellow. Viewed beside The Shortest Day of the Year is Not the Earliest Sunset, the dynamic color contrast heightens the sense of light and seasonal bliss.

Two more paintings fill the windows on Third Street: Blue Shadows Equinox (2025) and Etruscan Tiles (2026). Smith notes that Etruscan Tiles is filled with daredevils – soccer star Mario Balotelli making a virtuoso goal, motorcyclists riding at full speed, peregrine falcons chasing a wiretail swallow, a sculpture of kissing figures – but they could also be interpreted as moments that elicit the feeling of flight or weightlessness. Blue Shadows Equinox includes moments of suspense, such as the coin toss at the beginning of a youth soccer game, and the dramatic shadows inspired by the Papua New Guinea Sculpture Garden at Stanford University. Smith includes fragments of Greek pottery and Etruscan sculptures to connect present-day imagery to other moments in time.

These paintings connect us to specific locations, the greater contemporary world, and the many generations that have preceded us. They are the kind of paintings that seem to present new information upon each viewing, deepening our understanding over time. For those not headed out to an exotic summer holiday locale, these paintings are precisely what we need: a reminder that beauty is everywhere and attainable at a moment’s notice, if one takes the time to look.

About the Artist

Sally K. Smith is a painter based in Berkeley, California. She studied music and biology at Stanford and earned a law degree at the University of Utah before refocusing on visual art and studying at Cambridge Center Studio School and City College San Francisco. Her paintings and drawings reflect on memory, the natural world, philosophy, and history. Smith’s work has been exhibited at Icarus Gallery in Berkeley, Gallery 60Six in San Francisco, MarinMOCA, Sanchez Art Center, and Arc Gallery in San Francisco, among others.

Learn more about Sally K. Smith on her website or Instagram.