Distinctly Montana Magazine

“ Water is the most challenging thing in nature to paint. The key to capturing its essence is understanding the complexity of its transparent, translucent, and reflective surfaces.” Dan Smith lithographic reproductions, generating millions of dollars for conservation. As Dan’s art career flourished, he and his wife, Liz, chose to live in the Rockies to be closer to the wildlife in Dan’s paintings and find a good place to raise their three chil- dren. They considered Santa Fe and Durango among other places, but ultimately settled on Bozeman because “the kids liked it.” Adam, now 26-years-old, was nine when the family scouted the mountain west and decided to make Montana home. He had already picked up the guitar and by the age of 14 was considered a prodigy. Dan and Liz would take their underage son to the Cat’s Paw, a local saloon, so that he could play with the bands. As Dan fondly recalls, even at that age Adam already had followers. “We were sure Adam would be a musician,” Dan says. “He was really gifted.” But, like many young men, in high school Adam’s interest turned toward cars, and like his father’s ability to focus, he turned his attention to it fully. He drew cars and dreamed of designing automobiles—despite placing first in the Montana Junior Duck Stamp competition at age 16. “I did that just to see if I could paint,” he laughs. Top: Black Gold, Dan Smith the painting of it to Dan, his father was amazed and thought it almost looked as if he had painted it himself. With a dedication that mirrors his father’s around that same age, Adam began putting all of his spare time outside of work into his painting. Auto technology, like the guitar, became a part of Adam’s past. He also asked for his father’s advice. Dan said, “Don’t do it for the money. Do it because you love it.” It would not have been surprising for the young artist to resist painting wildlife Right: Heavy Hitter, Dan Smith DISTINCTLY MONTANA | DIGITAL See more of Dan and Adam’s work. Go to www.distinctlymontana.com/smithart112 After high school he earned a degree in automotive technology and an associate’s degree in business from the Wyoming Technical Institute, then returned to Bozeman where he could enjoy snowboarding and work as a line- tech mechanic. Adam was 22 when he asked to borrow one of his father’s photographs of a lion. When he showed 30 in order to pull away from his father’s reputation, but there was no need for Adam to do that. His passion was as evident as his gift, and he honed his skills by painting a great, gray African elephant next. Both lion and elephant were soon accepted—and sold—by Decoys & Wildlife Gal- lery in Frenchtown, New Jersey. Doors may have opened because of his father’s connections, but as Dan quickly points out, Adam’s work wouldn’t be in the galleries unless it was worthy and recognizable as his own. Both Smiths paint in acrylics, and both paint wildlife with exceptional realism. They travel together to Yellow- stone National Park to observe and photograph buffalo, wolves, birds, and bears, and last year Adam took his first trip—Dan’s seventh—to Africa. As they present images of their work, they banter easily about whether or not Adam has successfully painted a bear standing in water. “That’s Dad’s thing; he’s got that down,” Adam says. “No, you’ve done one, too, and it was good,” says Dan. Although both artists prefer the clarity and fluidity of acryl- ics, Adam muses that he is starting to think about exploring in oils. “I have some ideas about things I want to try.” At a casual glance, the untrained eye might not distin- guish between Dan and Adam’s work, but as Adam’s career deepens, that could change. Adam’s process is less me- thodical than Dan’s, yet his backgrounds tend to be more DISTINCTLY MONTANA • SPRING 2011

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