Mixed media from Phil Demise Smith

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Random cubist-ish cartoon faces and figures and the words As Is in red on the side.
Blue and yellow and red birdlike winged figures on a brown rock with a pink house in the background. Text on the opposite side says "Things Still Are and Always Will Be As Is"
Black personlike figures with red and blue hats and clothing stand next to each other against a blue and yellow background.
Blue surreal faces in the foreground with lighter pink and purple faces in the background. Black at the bottom of the page.
Red, green, pink, and black outlines of people on a white black lined page. Text opposite reads Things Are Still Moving, Changing, Punctuative. The Equilibrium Jumps and Stays Put, Rearranging The Same 3 Molecules Making Believe The Differences Add Up to More Than One.
Black text on white page outlined in red reads But Still, As Is, The Dream A Real Game of Chance, Fuses and Refuses the Possibilities Until a Structure of Real Chaos Spreads Its Sparkling Dissidence Throughout the Stillness That Remains, As Always, Still, As Is. Cartoonish figures in orange, blue, yellow, and black adorn the next page, along with spirals.
Text reads It Is In The Moment That All Is As Is And That Is All. Multiple pink, yellow, and orange elongated dream figures stand on the other side.
Text reads "All Things Are As Is. As They Are Is As They Were. As Different As All Things Will Be Still They Are And Always Will Be Still." One elongated red humanoid stands apart from other white humanoids.
Text reads As Is. Black stick figures open a purple book under a yellow sun.
Text bordered by colorful elongated figures reads The End Is Still. Blocky blue and purple and burgundy figure on a green and blue background adorns the last page.
Yellow and orange figure with blue eyes and mouth and a black stick figure on its chest under black text that reads About the Author.


I have often thought about the relationship between what was and what is and about the motion of the stillness that is “now” (see my attached homage to Mondrian). In “Still Is , As Is“ I’m using the vastness of definition and context and the vision that language and paintings provide in order to illustrate my experience of living within the vibrant, alternating current of yin yang alternatives – the back and forth, the yes and no, the right and wrong of real life….things move ahead within the stillness of now. They move through time in order for the chaos to become what is. What is, is born from what was, while remaining still, as is. It’s the oxymoron of still moving.

Phil Demise Smith

Poet, musician, artist, gallerist, teacher. Was the editor /publisher of Gegenschein Press and owner/producer at NYC performance loft- The Gegenschein Vaudeville Placenter from 1976-1978. Published in numerous magazines mostly in the 1970’s and 80’s and has had numerous chapbooks published including What I Don’t Know For Sure (Burning Deck), Periods, selected writings 1972-1987 (Gegenschein Press), History of Pre-Diction w/ drawings by Gérard Sendrey (Gegenschein Press). Has given numerous poetry readings in the U.S. and Europe. Began playing music in 1975 and has written over 200 songs and performed with numerous bands at NYC clubs (i.e. CBGB’s, Max’s Kansas City, Folk City, The Bitter End etc) – most recent recording (2021) being a vinyl record album Growing in the Dark with AnDna. In 1987 began to paint and since has had numerous one person and group shows in the U.S. and Europe including an exhibition at the The Musée Création Franche in Bégles, France and has work in many collections including in the collection of the Musée d’art brut, Montpelier, France. Was owner/gallerist of Outsider Art at A Gallery @ Wares For Art (1996-1999).

One thought on “Mixed media from Phil Demise Smith”

  1. Phil’s work has been a an alternative to the rush to nowhere. It has a connecting force to what it is to have been there and now and human.

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