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.
Find original Gary Ernest Smith paintings on 1stDibs.
"Boy Gathering"
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 att...
Canvas, Oil
"Man with Scythe"
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 att...
Canvas, Oil
"Hay Maker"
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 att...
Canvas, Oil
"Early to Rise"
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 att...
Canvas, Oil
"Man in Red"
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 att...
Canvas, Oil
$2,233
H 31.5 in W 31.5 in D 0.79 in
Summer 2 - Contemporary Expressive, Figurative Oil Painting, Male Nude Series
By Bartosz Kolata
Located in Hallein, AT
Bartosz Kolata was born in Torun, Poland in 1979. In 2006 he graduated in Art Conservation and Restoration from Nicolas Copernicus University UMK, secur...
Canvas, Oil
$8,407
H 39.38 in W 59.06 in D 0.79 in
Dialogue V - Contemporary Figurative Oil Painting, Beach View, People, Nude
By Julita Malinowska
Located in Hallein, AT
Artodyssey "Julita Malinowska's paintings belong to those, which once seen - are never forgotten. The open spaces, sometimes cool and bright, at other times heavily saturated with co...
Canvas, Oil
$4,238
H 59.06 in W 51.19 in D 1.19 in
Mirek - Male Portrait, Contemporary Expressive Figurative Oil Painting
By Bartosz Kolata
Located in Hallein, AT
Bartosz Kolata was born in Torun, Poland in 1979. In 2006 he graduated in Art Conservation and Restoration from Nicolas Copernicus University UMK, securing a Master of Art degree. He...
Canvas, Oil
$1,580
H 7.09 in W 9.45 in D 0.79 in
Peace XV - Modern Figurative Oil Painting, Swimmer, Water Landscape, Sea View
By Julita Malinowska
Located in Hallein, AT
Artodyssey "Julita Malinowska's paintings belong to those, which once seen - are never forgotten. The open spaces, sometimes cool and bright, at other times heavily saturated with co...
Canvas, Oil
$801
H 9.45 in W 11.82 in D 0.79 in
Boombox - Polish Young Art, Contemporary Figurative Painting, Street Art
By Michał Cygan
Located in Hallein, AT
The source of the young artist Michal Cygan´s art is to be found in the Silesian landscape, both in its material and its cultural dimension. The form of three-dimensional model is gi...
Canvas, Oil, Acrylic
$3,092
H 55.12 in W 39.38 in D 0.79 in
Prière De Toucher - Modern Figurative Painting, Dada Art, Minimalism, Pastel
By Bogumił Książek
Located in Hallein, AT
This painting is from the Series Duchamp Bogumił Książek was educated at the Cracow’s Academy of Fine Arts (1995-2000). 2003 -2009 he lived and worke...
Canvas, Oil, Acrylic
$8,121
H 57.09 in W 39.38 in D 0.79 in
Walking - Contemporary Figurative Oil Painting, Realism, Beach View, Minimalism
By Julita Malinowska
Located in Hallein, AT
Artodyssey "Julita Malinowska's paintings belong to those, which once seen - are never forgotten. The open spaces, sometimes cool and bright, at other times heavily saturated with co...
Canvas, Oil
$5,154
H 51.19 in W 102.37 in D 0.79 in
SERIES: MEAT&GEOMETRY - Diptych: Meat and Geometry X - (Large Format Painting)
By Agata Czeremuszkin-Chrut
Located in Hallein, AT
Agata Czeremuszkin-Chrut was born in 1983 in Czestochowa, Poland. She graduated from the Academy of the Fine Arts in Wroclaw (2008) with the Master degree in Painting. In 2007 she st...
Canvas, Oil, Acrylic
$6,471
H 27.56 in W 39.38 in D 0.79 in
Grandparents - Contemporary Figurative Oil Painting, Sea View, Realism, Joyful
By Julita Malinowska
Located in Hallein, AT
Artodyssey "Julita Malinowska's paintings belong to those, which once seen - are never forgotten. The open spaces, sometimes cool and bright, at other times heavily saturated with co...
Canvas, Oil
$19,472
H 94.49 in W 66.93 in D 1.19 in
Big Blue - Series Blobs - Colourful Expression, XXXL Format Oil Painting
By Grzegorz Radecki
Located in Hallein, AT
Artist about his work: BLOBS. THE CHARM OF DRIPPING PAINT Flowing peacefully in the slow current of a narrow trickle between the feeling of senselessness and some deeply hidden ho...
Cotton Canvas, Oil
$8,018
H 74.81 in W 66.93 in D 1.58 in
River Bend - Large Format Contemporary Nature Painting, Landscape
By Aleksandra Batura
Located in Hallein, AT
Aleksandra Batura (b. 1982 in Augustów) a Warsaw based artist. She earned a Doctor of Fine Arts degree from the Academy of Fine Arts in Cracow. She s...
Crayon, Cotton Canvas, Ink, Oil
$3,092
H 55.12 in W 39.38 in D 0.79 in
Air de Paris 1 - Contemporary Figurative Painting, Dada Art, Modern Portrait
By Bogumił Książek
Located in Hallein, AT
This painting is from the Series Duchamp Bogumił Książek was educated at the Cracow’s Academy of Fine Arts (1995-2000). 2003 -2009 he lived and worked in Florence, Italy 2009 - 202...
Canvas, Oil, Acrylic