"What a stunning painting,” I overheard. “Yes. Yes it is. It’s a Smith,” the collector informed his guest. The acknowledgement of long-term accomplishment and anticipation of excellence summed up in three words, “It’s a Smith.” What sets Dan’s realistic style apart is that he does not overpower the composition with details. In fact, his sensibility of design, color, highlights and shadows are more in line with impressionistic paintings. Tight painting reveals subtle textures in bear’s fur or the nuances of reflected light in running water, while overall the work is the integration of a few basic shapes and forms. An apt mirror of the intricate simplicity of the natural world.

“When the fish are running and bear are feasting like this,” says Smith, “they won’t even waste their time eating the entire fish. They’ll focus on the skin and the fatty layer beneath, throwing the rest of the fish aside. On the surface it may appear wasteful, but it is extremely efficient when fattening up for the winter’s hibernation is the priority.