Dive beneath the surface with artist Judith Smith, who captures the mystery and beauty of the underwater world. Learn more by visiting her website.
“Startled Porcupine Puffer Fish” pastel on paper, 14″ x 18″
From the time that I was able to crawl over to the wall and wield a crayon in my stubby little hand, I think my life’s path was set. I was making marks from a very early age, although my school marks in science seemed always to be more important to the folks around me than my extracurricular mark making in art.
“Turkey Lion fish” pastel on paper, 13″ x 16″
It was not until late in my sophomore year in pre-med at university that I chanced upon information concerning medical art (illustration). Here at last was a chance to make everyone happy, myself included. I could study “art as applied to medicine”. Who knew?!
“Kelp Dreams” encaustic, 12″ x 10″
I grew up in western Pennsylvania and gained a B.A. in Art History. Then I spent three years in graduate school in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Toronto. Subsequently I became the medical artist for a teaching hospital at McGill University in Montréal.
“Crabby Night” encaustic, 16″ x 20″
It never occurred to me that my career in art would eventually turn into an underwater adventure spanning the globe. Scuba travel took me from the lush tropical waters of Indonesia to the depths of Truk Lagoon, exploring WWII wrecks, to the swift currents off the coast of Mozambique, and the haunting caverns of the Yucatan peninsula.
“Aussie Dragon” encaustic and colored pencil, 22″ x 27″
More significantly, destinations like these became a mind-boggling inspiration for my art. Over years of breathing nitrogen-enriched air beneath the sea, I have enjoyed watching a surprising array of underwater creatures existing in their natural habitat. These explorations have deeply influenced my painting.
“Peacock Mantis Shrimp(male) Guarding Clutch of Eggs” pastel on paper, 18″ x 18″
I am continually drawn to experimentation and new forms of expression using pastel, encaustic, and (for my abstract work), mixed media. Beyond using my diving experience as a source of imagery, I also derive a great deal of pleasure in painting crows, ravens and other birds, as well as abstracted landscapes.
“Eagle Rays” pastel on paper, 18″ x 14″
For the present, I would like to share a window into my underwater adventures in the amazing world beneath the waves.
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