Gary Ernest Smith
Artist's Statement/Quote
"Form is the vehicle that carries the message. I push my colors almost to an expressionistic state.”
Gary Ernest Smith was born in rural Eastern Oregon. He attended Eastern Oregon State College and earned a Master of Fine Arts degree from Brigham Young University.
Smith’s paintings depict rural America from the turn of the century to the present. His works hang in museum collections as well as private, corporate and university collections. He is extensively published as an illustrator and has received many major commissions for his paintings and sculptures.
Working from a studio at the home he shares with his wife, Judy, in Highland, Utah, Smith shares through his paintings a celebration of the value of hard work and self-reliance, of the beauty of the rural landscape and the people who cultivated it. Using bold forms and color, he connects us to the places and people of rural America.
Growing up on a farm, Smith says, “I was probably a little reserved, maybe because of the isolation, and I’ve been somewhat of a solitary person ever since. Creating art is, after all, a solitary endeavor, but Smith’s paintings have found an enthusiastic audience who represent all walks of life and locations.
Smith is hard-pressed to verbalize his style. “Often I will paint a subject in relation to what I’m seeing there,” he says. “It’s very stylistic. It deals a lot with form and color. Form is the vehicle that carries the message.”
Awards/Special Exhibits
Smith’s paintings have been showcased in more than three dozen, one-man shows, many of them at prestigious museums such as the Eiteljorg and the Phippen.
Sample works by this artist:
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