![]() DOUG SMITH - STATEMENTBorn and raised in San Francisco, Doug Smith was fortunate to have talented, creative parents who recognized his own talent from an early age and encouraged him to pursue his art. His mother, herself an accomplished impressionist painter, exposed him to the wealth of San Francisco’s art exhibitions as a youngster, introducing him to the masters in their regular visits to the city’s outstanding museums. By age nine he sold his first oil painting. Smith received his first formal artistic instruction at San Francisco City College as a fine art major. He then furthered his education at San Francisco Academy of Art University. At 19 he participated in his first group exhibition in the city’s Artist Cooperative Gallery. After service in the U.S. Army, Smith returned to San Francisco and joined a firm as a graphic designer. The company relocated to Southern California and he continued his training at the Art Center College of Design and the California Art Institute. While he excelled in a succession of graphic design and art director positions over a long career, Smith continued to paint seriously. His work has found collectors throughout the country including, most recently, the Rockwell Museum of Western Art in Corning, New York. Enthusiasm for his current contemporary rural American landscapes has allowed Smith to transition entirely from commercial art to his passion for painting. The works’ strong composition, bold technique, textures and vibrant colors invoke the traditions of Elmer Bischoff, Richard Diebenkorn and Wayne Thiebaud of the early Bay Area Figurative School. Recent exhibitions: Publications: |