Gemma Smith’s practice tends to be series-based, which slowly moves along a continuum of colour and surface that belies an abiding fascination with the exploration of media. Each series, or perhaps approach is the better descriptor, seeks to resolve a specific set of visual problems, pushing back against its own context, whether tenets of high Modernism, hard-edge abstraction or abstract expressionism. Whether exploring opacity, form or space, Smith’s work tends to be united in its sense of resolution or finish. Even Smith’s most gestural works shy from messy humanity, resolving in a sense of visual order and calm resolution to the most unruly of problems. Smith’s ‘boulder’ works take this sense of finish to the extreme, with their sheer, shimmering planes and vivid colours. These works sit in conversation with the busier paintings, and like their namesake they encourage stillness and, by virtue of their surfaces, reflection.