Dave Smith | Home on the Range #2 (1995)

Acrylic on printed fabric | 24 x 48 inches

Home on the Range #2 is a masterclass in the art of the "backward glance." In a move that feels both rebellious and deeply conceptual, Smith has stretched a vintage Western-print fabric in reverse, choosing to paint on the unprinted, raw side of the material. This isn't just a gimmick; it’s a physical manifestation of how we view American history—faded, inverted, and seen through a domestic filter. You find yourself squinting through the weave of the fabric to catch the ghostly outlines of horses and pioneers. It’s a test of perception. Smith is making the point that the further we get from the "frontier," the more the narrative becomes a muffled, secondary shadow.

Floating over this textile "ghost" are two meticulously rendered motorhomes, anchored with a startling, high-fidelity clarity that mocks the atmospheric decay of the background. They don't just sit on the landscape; they haunt it. These are the modern stagecoaches, mobile fortresses of suburban entitlement that let us navigate the "wild" without ever breaking a sweat or losing the hum of an air-conditioner. Smith is highlighting a specific kind of American hubris here—the demand for total comfort in a space that was once defined by its lethality. These vehicles represent the "perfect fit" of modern luxury, acting as sanitized viewing platforms that allow the traveler to consume the "wilderness" while remaining completely insulated from it. They are icons of transit that never truly arrive because they never actually leave the safety of the domestic sphere.

The composition is further disrupted by a series of aggressive, hard-edge geometric "interventions." Large planes of primary color and four small, industrial orbs—rendered in a clinical yellow, teal, white, and red—sit across the upper axis like a sterile control panel. These aren't just decorative flourishes; they are formalist redactions that physically "pave over" the historical narrative underneath. As an illustrator, you see the surgical precision in how these shapes overlap the fabric, functioning like digital glitches in a historical film or the graphic "signs" of a modern construction site. They represent the final stage of the Great Expansion: the branding and organization of the horizon into a series of manageable, corporate shapes. By the time your eye travels across the 48-inch span, the original "Range" has been completely overwritten by the geometry of progress.

This work thrives on a sophisticated material subversion. While the use of found, mass-produced textile clearly nods to Sigmar Polke, Smith’s decision to paint on the "wrong" side adds a layer of semiotic mystery that is uniquely his. The bold, flat geometric redactions provide a sharp dialogue with the hard-edge abstraction of Ellsworth Kelly, but Smith isn't interested in "pure" form—he’s using geometry as a weapon of cultural erasure. The isolated, "floating" motorhomes carry the DNA of Andy Warhol’s product-centric icons, treating suburban leisure as a high-commodity artifact. Finally, the horizontal, "through-the-windshield" perspective keeps the piece firmly anchored in the deadpan traditions of Ed Ruscha, positioning the American landscape as a flat, mediated surface for the performance of modern consumption.

Curatorial Recommendation: This is arguably the most conceptually dense piece in the 1995 series. Its unique material investigation and muted, atmospheric palette make it a standout for a serious collection. It doesn't just hang on a wall; it challenges the viewer to think about the literal and figurative "fabric" of the American identity.

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OVERDRIVE, 1995. Acrylic on canvas & printed fabric. 24 x 72 in

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WARRIORS AND BRAVES, 2000. Acrylic on printed fabric. 48 x 24 ins