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Guy (Smiley) Crawford - Artist + Musician

This Week's Feature Artist: Guy (Smiley) Crawford - Artist + Musician
Smiley is a Barkindji man, born in the Brewarrina Mission and lives in Broken Hill. His mother was Evelyn Crawford, a Barkindji artist from Tibooburra/Wilcannia. Smiley runs a gallery in Broken Hill called Eckla Arts, selling and promoting his own art in diverse mediums: painting, recycled metal work, wood and emu egg carving. He is also a musician, playing in the BackTracks Band and has just recorded an album in Tamworth that he hopes to release very soon.
On a recent studio visit, Smiley showed West Darling Arts a new product range of 'Outback Designer' chairs made from recycled wooden pallets. These are all custom made to fit different body heights and shapes. He is taking orders for these and may be contacted via the number below.
Smiley has a big interest in recycling metal and has started making what he calls 'River-Bank Art', which involves building a bush forge on the banks of the river to melt down aluminium cans to molten metal, which he then pours into a mould to set, making small sculptures.
Smiley has recently taken up landscape painting, which he does on his camping trips away, and has produced a number of fantastic paintings from his travels around the Far West.
Smiley was one of the artists included in an exhibition called Baaka Stories shown a West Darling Arts in 2019.
Check out a young Smiley in the Essie Coffey documentary’My Life As I Live It’ on SBS On Demand.
His studio gallery in Broken Hill is open by appointment.

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