The Artist - TWSmith
I see myself not just as a “Later in Life” emerging artist, but as a lifelong artist beginning to emerge “Later in Life”, with a half century of painting behind him. I’ve been strongly influenced by works of Edward Hopper, Charles Sheeler, especially their more shadowy, sometimes gritty angular look of their early 20th Century American Realist paintings. My automotive paintings that I refer to as “Used Cars” is my own unique mix of a Tom Hale style rich, flamboyant artist studio work combined with that ever present influence of great artists like Hopper and Sheeler. That and the strict adherence to solid visual structuring, layout and positioning with subdued use of color that is infused into the American Realist Movement. Looking forward, I remain intrigued with architectural ‘Hard Edge Realism’ & early 20th Century “Precisionism”, but I continue to experiment with bolder, solid surfaces and muted colors. I have lined up several scenes more industrial and reminiscent of Charles Sheeler. The vintage auto paintings will continue, as I love the subject matter, so much color and structure, and potentially possible to paint in a slightly more stylistic vain.
My working career was somewhat directed towards engineering, a career I stuck with most of my working years. That said, the art component of my journey was always just under the radar. I started painting in earnest in my early 20’s, around 1974. I still have several paintings dating from 1975/1976. Through the ‘70’s and early ‘80’s I was quite prolific, selling paintings on a private commission basis for $300 - $400 apiece. There was a lull of several years, but back at it by the mid ‘80’s. I still have several paintings from the mid to late ‘80’s, 2 of which I have kept.
In the early ‘90’s I did some photography work and used several of these photos to create paintings more for my personal collection than with the idea of selling them. My painting of the Chick Inn drive-in in Ypsilanti, Michigan is one of these paintings. My Interest in painting vintage or ‘distressed’ older vehicles began with “46 Dodge Truck”, which I painted from a photograph I took of this vehicle sitting on the side of an old two lane road in northern Michigan. At this point I was offered gallery representation and several pieces were put on display including architectural paintings of the ruins of the old Packard Plant in Detroit. Those photos came with permission by Lowell Boileau off his “Detroit Yes!” website. Sadly, the gallery did not survive the Financial Crisis of 2008, but by that time I was painting several works a year. Regardless of that setback, I have continued to produce architectural scenes of old Detroit, including Brush Park, Midtown and Woodbridge areas, as well as more paintings in my “Used Care” series. I have 12 paintings of each of these series completed. Drop in and take a look at my Portfolio pages. I’m on the internet @ twsmithart.com, YouTube @twsmithart, and FineArtAmerica.com/art/twsmith. I am attracted to the forms and shapes of early to mid-century modernist industrial design elements, both architecturally as well as the style of vehicles of the era, especially as they become well-aged and a certain patina sets in.
My working career was somewhat directed towards engineering, a career I stuck with most of my working years. That said, the art component of my journey was always just under the radar. I started painting in earnest in my early 20’s, around 1974. I still have several paintings dating from 1975/1976. Through the ‘70’s and early ‘80’s I was quite prolific, selling paintings on a private commission basis for $300 - $400 apiece. There was a lull of several years, but back at it by the mid ‘80’s. I still have several paintings from the mid to late ‘80’s, 2 of which I have kept.
In the early ‘90’s I did some photography work and used several of these photos to create paintings more for my personal collection than with the idea of selling them. My painting of the Chick Inn drive-in in Ypsilanti, Michigan is one of these paintings. My Interest in painting vintage or ‘distressed’ older vehicles began with “46 Dodge Truck”, which I painted from a photograph I took of this vehicle sitting on the side of an old two lane road in northern Michigan. At this point I was offered gallery representation and several pieces were put on display including architectural paintings of the ruins of the old Packard Plant in Detroit. Those photos came with permission by Lowell Boileau off his “Detroit Yes!” website. Sadly, the gallery did not survive the Financial Crisis of 2008, but by that time I was painting several works a year. Regardless of that setback, I have continued to produce architectural scenes of old Detroit, including Brush Park, Midtown and Woodbridge areas, as well as more paintings in my “Used Care” series. I have 12 paintings of each of these series completed. Drop in and take a look at my Portfolio pages. I’m on the internet @ twsmithart.com, YouTube @twsmithart, and FineArtAmerica.com/art/twsmith. I am attracted to the forms and shapes of early to mid-century modernist industrial design elements, both architecturally as well as the style of vehicles of the era, especially as they become well-aged and a certain patina sets in.