BIO
Brian Smith graduated from the Ontario College of Art and Design in Toronto, Canada in 1969. For over 40 years he has been both a professional, award-winning graphic designer and a practicing fine artist focusing on classical drawing and painting from the figure. His works are in collections across North America and he has exhibited in numerous juried and invitational shows, recently winning Best in Show in both the Etobicoke Annual Juried Exhibition and the Colour & Form Society Annual Juried Exhibition.
In January 2005, Brian was awarded the title of Honorary Drawing Master by the Drawing Society of Canada. Gerritt Verstraete, co-founder of the Drawing Society, noted that to receive this honour, an artist must “demonstrate a substantial commitment to drawing as well as mastery of drawing techniques. They have developed a body of work that positions drawings as complete works in themselves and not just preparatory work or ‘studies’ for paintings. A Canadian drawing master is an artist who loves to draw, who draws well, who is comfortable in one or any number of styles and who has spent many years creating drawings that in turn have become valuable contributions to Canada’s overall artistic heritage.” Previous inductees have included Robert Bateman, Peter Mah, Eric Freifeld and Ken Danby. See www.drawingsociety.com for details.
Brian was named Artist of the Month for November 2008 by American Artist magazine. Brian was also a featured artist on the television program Star Portraits which aired in the Fall of 2009 on Bravo!. Check out their website for further information: www.bravo.ca
Brian has taught classes and workshops on life drawing, portraiture and figurative abstraction for over 30 years and has been on the faculty of the Ontario College of Art and Design University (OCADU), The Koffler Centre for the Arts, Haliburton School of The Arts, Curry’s Art School, Visual Arts Mississauga and Neilson Park Creative Centre as well as conducting Master Classes in his own studio.
ARTIST’S STATEMENT
I have been drawing and painting the human form for close to fifty years now and I continue to derive an enormous amount of pleasure from it. Whether a classical drawing of the nude in sanguine chalk or a more whimsical drawing of a group of figures in compressed charcoal or an abstracted painting of the figure, the thrill of the human form and the challenge of recording and interpreting that form and its gestures and surfaces keeps bringing me back daily. I am an artist because the human form inspires.
Brian Smith graduated from the Ontario College of Art and Design in Toronto, Canada in 1969. For over 40 years he has been both a professional, award-winning graphic designer and a practicing fine artist focusing on classical drawing and painting from the figure. His works are in collections across North America and he has exhibited in numerous juried and invitational shows, recently winning Best in Show in both the Etobicoke Annual Juried Exhibition and the Colour & Form Society Annual Juried Exhibition.
In January 2005, Brian was awarded the title of Honorary Drawing Master by the Drawing Society of Canada. Gerritt Verstraete, co-founder of the Drawing Society, noted that to receive this honour, an artist must “demonstrate a substantial commitment to drawing as well as mastery of drawing techniques. They have developed a body of work that positions drawings as complete works in themselves and not just preparatory work or ‘studies’ for paintings. A Canadian drawing master is an artist who loves to draw, who draws well, who is comfortable in one or any number of styles and who has spent many years creating drawings that in turn have become valuable contributions to Canada’s overall artistic heritage.” Previous inductees have included Robert Bateman, Peter Mah, Eric Freifeld and Ken Danby. See www.drawingsociety.com for details.
Brian was named Artist of the Month for November 2008 by American Artist magazine. Brian was also a featured artist on the television program Star Portraits which aired in the Fall of 2009 on Bravo!. Check out their website for further information: www.bravo.ca
Brian has taught classes and workshops on life drawing, portraiture and figurative abstraction for over 30 years and has been on the faculty of the Ontario College of Art and Design University (OCADU), The Koffler Centre for the Arts, Haliburton School of The Arts, Curry’s Art School, Visual Arts Mississauga and Neilson Park Creative Centre as well as conducting Master Classes in his own studio.
ARTIST’S STATEMENT
I have been drawing and painting the human form for close to fifty years now and I continue to derive an enormous amount of pleasure from it. Whether a classical drawing of the nude in sanguine chalk or a more whimsical drawing of a group of figures in compressed charcoal or an abstracted painting of the figure, the thrill of the human form and the challenge of recording and interpreting that form and its gestures and surfaces keeps bringing me back daily. I am an artist because the human form inspires.