ARTIST BIO

Born in Kress, Texas in 1928, the artist, Carl J. Smith, was the ninth child in a family of ten. Most of his life he has spent living in the high plains of West Texas.
After a two year stint in the Army, Smith earned his BS degree from West Texas State in 1953; followed by a twelve year teaching career in Portales, New Mexico. In 1966, Carl J. Smith moved to Canyon, Texas, and began a full time career as an artist. “While I love New Mexico and Colorado,” the artist explains,” I always come home to the Texas Panhandle. Not all, but many of my paintings have their inspiration from this part of the country.”

Smith has had dozens of one man shows over the years, including the Thomas Gilcrease Museum in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and among others, the Grand Central Gallery in New York.

Primarily working in oils, the artist is best known for his exceptional subtlety of color, as well as the great visual depth and atmosphere he achieves in his paintings.
In 1965, President Lyndon Johnson, Governor John Connally, the King Ranch and other famous individuals began to collect Smith’s paintings. Since that time, the list of collectors has grown to include people from every state in the U.S. and as far away as Japan and Saudi Arabia.

“While I have received great satisfaction from being able to make a living from my work; the greatest reward has been being involved in the creative process. I feel that I have been the most fortunate of men.”