“I sometimes see the things I make as stories, or as moments in time. They are my reflections of divine chuckles or the frustrated stutter. Mystery has always been a source for my work, from the long shadows of film noir to the burning giraffes of surrealism… my heroes range from Dorothea Tanning, Gregory Gillespie to Chucho Valdes, my influences are everything I’ve lived and most of what I don’t know. Making an object, with the intent of making art, usually gives me the sense of seeing other meanings. Sometimes this can only be a dialogue with an already understood idea and myself. I use my life experience, as a lens to focus my vision on areas I feel should be looked at, and pose questions I feel should be considered. I do not think art can change society. I think art can sensitize. My working method is fairly simple: Gathering, Arranging, and Execution.”

— Eduardo Smissen

Born in East LA, the only child of un padre cubano y una madre mexicana, his earliest memories are of laughter, Afro-Cuban music, and the rhythm of hands slapping tortillas.

 After high school and a brief military detour, Eduardo studied at L’Ecole des Beaux Arts, Paris and L’Academie des Beaux Arts, Brussels before returning to the U.S. and attending the Art Center School of Los Angeles. In spite of diversions: husband, father, timber faller, shopkeeper, taxi cab driver, the constant has been the creation of art while actively ignoring traditional boundaries.

Eduardo Smissen moved to the Mendocino Coast in 1989. He lived in Elk for most of this time and made Art until he died on February 27, 2015.

Second Saturday Gallery Reception:
May 12, 5pm-8pm
Free admission

Mendocino Art Center hosts a free Second Saturday Artists Reception each month. Enjoy snacks and wine, and meet the exhibiting artists.