Participating Artists

    • Matt Smith
    • Matt Smith

    Matt Smith

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    Matt Smith was born in Kansas City, Missouri, and moved with his family when he was very young to Scottsdale, Arizona. During his grade-school years, the family lived for two years in Toulouse, France, and when he was in high school they spent a year in Geneva, Switzerland. His travels in these and various other countries, including Italy, Germany, Austria, and Spain, exposed him to the work of many of the great masters. This stimulated his interest in art and was a contributing factor in what was to become his life-long commitment to painting.

    Pine Creek Lake: oil, 16 x 20 in. ($5,900)
    Uncompahgre Color: oil, 12 x 16 in. ($3,400)
    Movaje Moon: oil, 18 x 24 in. ($6,900)
    Absoroka Falls: oil, 9 x 12 in. ($2,400, sold)
    click on image to enlarge

    In 1985, Smith graduated from Arizona State University with a BFA in painting. As part of his ongoing studies, he frequently visits museums around the country and has assembled an extensive library of art books.

    He spends four to six month a year traveling. This connection to actual subjects enables him to paint landscapes from direct observation during all seasons, which reinforces both his plein-air and studio work.

    Smith has received prestigious recognition for his work, including the Robert M. Lougheed Memorial Award at the Prix de West Invitational Art Exhibition and Sale, the Colonel Richard H. “Red” Smith Artists’ Choice Award from the National Museum of Wildlife Art, and both Best of Show and Artistic Merit awards at the Western Rendezvous of Art. Each of these awards resulted from voting by artists participating in the shows. In 2009 he received Ben Stahl Artists’ Choice Award and a Merit Award for View Over Ediza at the Western Rendezvous of Art Show in Helena, Montana.

    He has had one-man shows in Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Texas, and Wyoming, and has participated in numerous major shows. His work has been featured in many publications, including American Artist, Art of the West, Art-Talk, International Artist, and Southwest Art.

    Smith lives in and maintains his studio in Scottsdale, Arizona. He teaches several workshops every year.

    Matt Smith is represented by Settlers West Galleries Inc., Tucson, Arizona; Situ Art Gallery, Laguna Beach, California; and Trailside Galleries, Jackson, Wyoming, and Scottsdale, Arizona.