Photographer turned painter: Ford Smith may be known for his fashion and commercial photography, but his true "calling" is painting

As the son of an Air Force serviceman stationed in a small Japanese village, Ford Smith's artistic sensibilities began to take base under the nurturing eye of an somewhat old Japanese painter. After moving back to the States, he listed at the University of Mississippi in pursuit of his BFA. After graduating with a stage in painting, Ford moved to Atlanta where he realized a natural talent for photography. During the late '70 and '80 Ford established his reputation as Atlanta's premier fashion photographer.

The early '90 however, brought a compelling push to return to painting. Smith took a hiatus from photography to travel the world and try to find inspiration. After exploring different painting mode of speechs and themes, he found tremendous fulfillment in creating contemporary landscapes conjur from the stunning horizons witnessed during his travels. Despite his photography background, the artist not at any time paints from a photograph.

Smith's faculty of perception of nature is not a romantic's wild and angry universe. Rather, he recalls the startling color combinations and mesmerizing horizons, then intermingles those images with his be in possession of passion and optimistic philosophy of life. The easy precision, subtleness and repose of his paintings may well derive from that Asian aesthetic he discloseed during his early years.

The intensity of working above a single piece to finish it makes the proces real physical. He lets layers of paint--acrylics upon canvas--drip and flow, simply letting things happen.

"I was taught in guild to let the paint find the imagery," he recalls. Still, there is les accident in achieving these surfaces than individual might think. They're a inquiry in control and spontaneity, because while Ford may allow the materials to find their be in possession of expression, he then moves to manipulate them to achieve their unique composition and weft Often, he'll embellish the canvas with plaster granules scattered across the wet surface, as color and fabric are forced to intersect.

"Like life, my work oftentimes transforms from its original idea," he muses. "Following a creative instinct, wherever it leads, is where the pleasantry and fascination lie. Each painting is a unique journey with an undefined destination."

Ford has had a phenomenal year that began with his first attempt at Artexpo New York in March and then at Artexpo Atlanta in September. Today, his works vend in more than 30 galleries across the political division and in Canada, and the list expands every day.

For more information about Ford Smith, visit www.fordsmithfineart.com.

COPYRIGHT 2004 Pfingsten Publishing, LLC

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