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Hello,
My name is Brady Smith and I'd like to thank you for showing an interest in my work. I am the youngest of three boys born to my father, a blue collar business owner, and mother, a health-care administrator, in 1979. I have spent my entire life in the Texas Panhandle, and all but about 8 years of it in a sparsely populated area near the Oklahoma border in Lipscomb County.
I began drawing when i was about 13 after being kicked out of band class. I was known to test the patience of pretty much anyone that would allow me to get away with doing so as a kid. In 8th grade I was well past the last nerve of my band instructor when he grabbed me by the ear and drug me halfway across the school to the art room and gave me to the art teacher. My art teacher happened to be our neighbor and a close friend of my parents so she wasn't someone I was willing to push. She was good at maintaining my focus and effort as such i showed a talent for drawing almost immediately.
Despite showing great promise and passion for art it wasn't something I had any intention of pursuing professionally. Throughout my teenage years it developed into a means of quietly expressing myself and exploring my spiritual beliefs but remained in large part something I kept private. I studied business at WTAMU from 1998 until 2004 when I returned home and bought out the family oil and gas service company. Drawing and drafting continued to be part of my life, mostly as a coping mechanism whenever I was struggling personally.
In 2015 at 36 years old my career in oil and gas ended and I struggled to with what would be my next step in life and as a result so too went almost every aspect of my life. I leaned heavily on drawing during that time and over the next two years I began producing large composition illustrations. I leaned heavily into my faith during that time as well and slowly my skills began increasing as did my understanding of God and purpose in life. In 2018 I picked up a paint brush for the first time. In 2019 I become a father and from that began my appreciation for community, the love for the small towns I grew up in, and in a sense my keen eye for the vivid and beautiful color that has become the trademark characteristic of my work. My subject matter varies but faith, family, and home are mainstays in my work. I do several dozen commissions each year so connecting to traditions and small town values are important to me. I hold somewhat fading ideals like love for my country, god, dirt roads, and vast star filled heavens close to my heart and they take center stage in my work. I hope you enjoy what you see and if you have any questions or I can be of service feel free to reach out
Kindest Regards
Brady R. Smith