Cruise Control Contemporary (CCC) is delighted to showcase River, a debut solo exhibition of new work by Big Sur-based artist, Abigail Smith. While residing in a tiny mountain cabin, Smith’s new oil painting series depicts the region's freshwater streams. These eight small-scale works offer a unique intimacy, both for the creator and the viewer. The scale compels an intentional proximity, drawing the viewer in to engage closely with the details and textures of the surface. This closeness fosters a sense of contemplation and encourages a slower, more deliberate pace of intake. Each brushstroke carries weight, every compositional choice becomes essential, and every inch of the painting is imbued with significance.

Abigail Smith is a painter and multidisciplinary artist originally from Templeton, CA. She now resides in a tiny mountain cabin in Big Sur, CA, balancing her time as an artist, gardener, and shop worker. Creating art since childhood, Smith uses painting, drawing, ceramics, and writing to connect with the world around her. Her work explores the quiet beauty of relationships, nature, and simple objects, imbuing them with a nonlinear sensibility. Inspired by her surroundings, she aims to create pieces that invite viewers to pause, reflect, and connect with the intangible aspects of being human. She aims to make paintings that feel like poems—intimate, tender, and evocative. Smith holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.