Gary Ernest Smith Art
American, b. 1942
Realist painter Gary Ernest Smith often gets compared to Regionalist artists like Thomas Hart Benton and Grant Wood, in their shared affection for depicting wide swaths of land and rural characters. The American West’s rocky canyons, deserts and pastures come to life on the canvas through a level of stark realism that’s devoid of pretense or extravagance. Smith's art reflects life, the land and hard work in a way that brings the viewer closer and builds appreciation for the subject.
Born in rural Oregon, Smith took to art at a very young age. His parents fostered his talent, giving him the freedom to follow his vision. Before he was out of high school, Smith had sold a number of his paintings and later worked at an art gallery owned by his aunt.
Smith attended Eastern Oregon College, earning a bachelor's degree in fine art. He went on to pursue graduate school, but the military drafted him for service during the Vietnam War before he could finish. After his military deployment, he studied at Brigham Young University, where he finally received his master’s degree.
Smith's work began to receive national attention in the early 1980s and was soon displaying his work at galleries and museums around the country. Notable museums — such as the Brooklyn Museum of Art and the Phoenix Museum of Art — have displayed his work, and his pieces belong to private collections around the world. In the late 1990s, writer Donal Hagerty published a book showcasing Smith's work, titled Holding Ground: the Art of Gary Ernest Smith.
As a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Smith has painted religious-themed murals and smaller projects for temples and churches throughout the world. Living in Utah with his wife, Judy, Smith remains a prolific creator of realist paintings and murals.
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Artist: Gary Ernest Smith
"Nature's Solitude"
By Gary Ernest Smith
Located in Scottsdale, AZ
Lauded by critics and collectors alike, the art of Gary Ernest Smith resonates in the mind and memory of contemporary America. Over the past years the artist’s one-man shows have attracted the attention of collectors from coast to coast. His three year exhibit, “Journey I Search of Lost Images” hung in 22 museums and institutes across the United States. In an exhibit curated by the Brooklyn Museum of Art, his work toured the New Orleans Contemporary Art Center, San Jose Museum of Art, the Palm Springs Desert Museum and many more prestigious art institutions. Although he must strictly limit the number of commissions he accepts, his mural size paintings are highly prized by corporate collectors.
Gary Ernest Smith was born and raised in a relatively isolated farm community 25 miles northeast of Baker City, Oregon. His interests and intensity for painting began at an early age and progressed through college degrees, numerous commissions and awards to a full time pursuit of painting.
The commission work that dominated the early years eventually stifled his creativity. Dissatisfaction with this career direction forced him to reach inward and search beyond popular style and accepted artistic norms to a personal vision.
Following years of artistic training and experimentation, subject matter began to emerge based on the artist’s background of a rural life-style that celebrates the values of hard work and self-reliance. These aspects of Smith’s life came together and became the catalyst for his distinctive style. Living in the west, his work is primarily of that region, but it is not western in the traditional sense.
Although it defies precise classification, the artist considers his style “minimal” and seeks to express the essence and simplicity of each subject. Whatever the focus might be, his work expresses the artistic elements of bold form and color. These two components become the vehicle that melds the style and subject into a symbolic visual language, expanding the artistic appeal beyond the west...
Category
2010s Gary Ernest Smith Art
Materials
Linen, Oil
"Field of Order"
By Gary Ernest Smith
Located in Scottsdale, AZ
Lauded by critics and collectors alike, the art of Gary Ernest Smith resonates in the mind and memory of contemporary America. Over the past years th...
Category
2010s Gary Ernest Smith Art
Materials
Linen, Oil
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Gary Ernest Smith art for sale on 1stDibs.
Find a wide variety of authentic Gary Ernest Smith art available for sale on 1stDibs. You can also browse by medium to find art by Gary Ernest Smith in fabric, linen, oil paint and more. Not every interior allows for large Gary Ernest Smith art, so small editions measuring 30 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of Kevin Kearns, Daniel Warren Pinkham, and H.M. Saffer II. Gary Ernest Smith art prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $10,000 and tops out at $24,000, while the average work can sell for $15,400.