The artwork of Garden City resident Ron Smith is being featured now in a new exhibit, titled, �Images of Native America,� at the Finney County Museum.



Smith�s work, encompassing images of buffalo, turtles, bears, geckos and other historic shapes is open for viewing 1 to 5 p.m. daily at the museum�s Front Door Gallery.



�I began doing this because I needed what I call sacred space,� said Smith, a Garden City native, artist and musician.



Smith works with abalone shells in a mixed media format that also employs wood, metal, turquoise nuggets and Native American beaded rosettes and medallions. The pieces range from two to more than four feet in diameter, and also include thunderbirds, crosses and the Kokopelli flute player shape found in ancient petroglyphs from Arizona and New Mexico to Colorado and Utah.



Smith�s buffalo, he emphasized, are always shown in a running stance, �because running gives them their strength and power.�



Smith developed an interest in abalone shells more than 50 years ago, when he bought a large quantity after noticing their iridescent quality. He began using them to create Native images in 2008, after securing cut-outs of the basic images he wanted to use, and applying the shells with a hot glue gun.



The beaded elements he incorporates into many of his pieces are made on commission, some by a White Mountain Apache artisan in Arizona, and others by a Lakota Sioux woman near Tucson.



�I guess I started collecting these shells with the dream of someday turning them into something I could share with people,� he said. �And I hope I�ve succeeded. Appreciating the beauty of God�s creations is a part of my life.�



The shells, which come from all over the world, have their own historical significance. Native American tribes are believed to have harvested abalone for at least 12,000 years, and Smith says they�re prized as a �magical gift from the sea� that stimulates fertility of mind and body, as well as protecting against negative attitudes and actions. The turquoise he applies with the shells comes from the American Southwest and other locations, and he shares the belief that it offers good luck.



Smith has shown his work at Garden City�s annual Art in the Park event, the Garden City Arts gallery, Mercer Gallery at Garden City Community College and venues in Santa Fe, N.M.



In his travels, Smith has visited with a number of Native American observers, discussing and sharing beliefs and legends, and he subscribes to the theory that �there is nothing on this earth that does not have a spirit.� Those spirits, he has been told, are reflected in the multi-colored brilliance of the shells in his work.



Smith said he has no personal Native American heritage, but has developed a kinship with many who do, including a local woman who advises him on the shapes and forms he uses. The artist also has deep roots in Finney County, playing over the years in various rock�n�roll bands. He is retired after working at Smith Sand and Asphalt, a family business, Western Steel and Automation, as well as with the Finney County Sheriff�s Office and GCCC campus security.



The Front Door Gallery, located just inside the historical museum�s exhibit entrance, is dedicated to a series of displays that change repeatedly throughout the year. Museum admission is free.