Xanadu Gallery, L.L.C.

CSmith Biography

I’m fascinated with the 1920-1950's. Maybe it's a "past-life" thing. I wasn't born until 1955. The period was rich in design. The vehicles, clothing, architecture, appliances and print media were futuristically elegant. Most of my reflections of this time are through a gray colored lens. I use old black and white vintage snapshots of candid common events. None of my images are of re-enacted events; all actually happened. They are common settings, just uncommon that the photos survived. We still live much the way they did back then. Most of the situations in these scenes are universal, timeless and cross-cultural. I'm highly selective of my imagery. I am respectful of the spirit of those in the photographs. I avoid photographs that would embarrass those who have passed on. Instead I want to celebrate their time here on earth.

These images evoke a nostalgic feeling, although my paintings have a contemporary relevance and color palette. I try to bring this era to life with color. Not simply colorizing the scenes but pushing color to a plausible but unusual limit. I leave the people vague so that the viewer can inject himself or herself or someone they know into the image. There's a part of me that is striving to capture a sense of the reality of today's moment and its relationship to the past. There is an illusive, moody feeling that I still haven't arrived at. I have the rest of my life to try.

EDUCATION

1998-1999 Studied with Carolyn Anderson
1998 & 2005 Studied with David C. Powers
1996-1997 Studied with Thomas English
1990 Studied with Freeman Butts
1979 Paris Gibson Square Museum of Art

AWARDS

2003 March Southwest Art magazine Artist to Watch
2002 Western Heritage Artists 1^stPlace Oil Painting
2000 January Editor’s Choice U.S.ART Magazine
1991 Montana State Fair 1^st Place Painting
1992 Montana State Fair 1^st Place Oil Painting

PUBLICATIONS

2007 May Southwest Art magazine
February 3, 2006 Great Falls Tribune
July 1,2004 Great Falls Tribune
May 14,2004 Great Falls Tribune
September 15,2003 Great Falls Tribune
2003 March Southwest Art magazine
March 03,2003 Great Falls Tribune
March 2003 Lively Times Montana’s Arts Monthly
2002 May U.S.ART Magazine
March 12,2002 Great Falls Tribune
March 20,2001 Great Falls Tribune
2000 September U.S.ART Magazine
September 27,2000 Great Falls Tribune
2000 January U.S.ART Magazine
December 17,1999 Great Falls Tribune

PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS

2003-2007 Four-West Art League
1998-2004 Western Heritage Artists
1990-1998 Great Falls Art Association

GALLERIES

Coda Gallery, Palm Desert, California
Coda Gallery, (SOHO) New York, New York
Matre Gallery, Atlanta, Georgia
Attic Gallery, Portland, Oregon
Xanadu Gallery, Scottsdale, Arizona
Mountain Shadow Gallery, Tucson, Arizona
Visions West Galleries, Denver, Colorado
Samarah Fine Art, Whitefish, Montana
Dana Gallery, Missoula, Montana
Rogoway’s Turquoise Tortoise Gallery, Tubac, Arizona

EXHIBITION HISTORY

2007 Visions West Galleries, Denver, Colorado
2007 Matre Gallery Atlanta Georgia
2006-2007 Artists Gallerie, Cannon Beach, Oregon
2006-2007 Xanadu Gallery, Scottsdale, Arizona
2006-2007 Mountain Shadow Gallery, Tucson
2005-2007 Attic Gallery, Portland, Oregon
2005 Long Beach Museum of Art
2005 Dill & Spowze, Ketchum (Sun Valley), Idaho
2005-2007 Visions West Galleries, Bozeman, Montana
2005-2007 Visions West Galleries, Livingston, Montana
2004-2007 Samarah Fine Art, Whitefish, Montana
2004-2005 Munson Gallery, Santa Fe, New Mexico
2002-2007 Coda Gallery, Palm Desert, California
2002-2007 Coda Gallery, (SOHO) New York, New York
2002-2007 Dana Gallery, Missoula, Montana
2003-2004 A & C Fine Art, East Greenwich, Rhode Island
2003-2007 C.M. Russell Museum
2002-2004 Coda Gallery, Park City, Utah
2001-2003 Handsel Gallery, Santa Fe, New Mexico
2002 Chaparral Fine Art, Bozeman, Montana
2001 Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center
1999-2002 Yellowstone Art Museum
1990-1992 & 2003-2007 Paris Gibson Square Museum of Art

COLLECTIONS

Daimler Chrysler Canada
Joe DeGenova and Victoria Toensing (former U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia and former Deputy Assistant U.S. Attorney )
Norman Waitt Jr. (Co-founder Gateway Computers)
Two private collections in England and one in Germany.

Current Works