New Mike Smith Paintings at Smith Galleries

Mike Smith

I think at some point in our lives we have all created our own perfect world, the world in which we would like to live. Flowers bloom all the time, apples ripen on the trees, sailboats skim across the water, doves fly around the moon, and animals frolic in the tall grass while the sun shines brightly. Scenes like this can be found in the paintings of Mike Smith.

A native of Portland, Oregon, Mike grew up in the Vancouver, Washington, and the Puget Sound area. He graduated from the University of Portland with a degree in English Literature. After a brief period working as a writer in a dental school, he returned to his first love, painting. His passion for art began at the tender age of two and lasted until he discovered baseball at the age of ten. He rediscovered his first love at 25 and has never looked back. Carving out a career as an abstract painter was unsuccessful, so he abandoned all formal “schools” of painting and developed his autobiographical approach, using what was around him for

"Back of The Studio, July 2016"
by Mike Smith
Watercolor

subjects and creating a dialog with them, placing them in his idea of perfect habitats which he realizes can never truly exist. Baseball may have been his sport as a youth, but it’s easy to see from his paintings that golf plays an important role in his life as an adult! It is his autobiographical paintings that have made him successful.  He has had more than fifty one man shows in several countries, and continues to enchant us with his idea of the ideal.

Mike uses a wide range of mediums including watercolor, oil, bronze, and pastels. Most of the

"Window on Trondheim"
by Mike Smith
Pastel

originals you see are watercolors, but occasionally you will see the rare oil or pastel. In addition to his originals, there are  series of serigraphs and giclees. For years there were many poster editions, but those reproductions have mostly been replaced by giclees because of their superior quality.

Mike’s use of color is what first draws most people to his paintings. The bright colors invite the viewer to discover a little piece of the world that looks inviting, animals that are obviously happy and secure in their habitats, and nature at its most bountiful and productive. Soon you are swept into the image and the cares you brought with you are forgotten. You can’t help but smile. Mike Smith paintings make you happy, and that is a true gift from the artist.

Click to see the new watercolors.

Smith Galleries is located in suite J11 (second level) of the Village at Wexford at 1000 William Hilton Parkway on Hilton Head Island, SC. Gallery hours are 10 - 6 Monday through Saturday. 800.272.3870