Paul Smith

Born in 1972 in Wegberg, Germany, the London-based artist Paul Smith is known for his painterly landscapes that transcend space and time. His paintings often contemplate abandoned spaces, a return to nature and wilderness in his art. Paul Smith has mastered the illusion of presence through absence; although human figures are largely absent from his paintings, you can undoubtedly feel their mark by the traces left behind them.

PAUL SMITH ARTIST EARLY CAREER AND STYLE

Painting from an early age, Paul Smith achieved his BA (Hons) in Fine Art from West Surrey College of Art and Design, Farnham, United Kingdom, in 1995. After a creative hiatus, Paul Smith returned to painting in 2015. He is also an educator, illustrator, art photographer, and cartographer, and his diverse experiences have shaped the painter he is today.

Paul Smith’s paintings are known for investigating lost places and capturing the essence of moments of abandonment. These evocative scenes have been present since his earliest works, photographing post-industrial urban landscapes of the North East. At a glance, his nature scenes may appear empty. On closer inspection, however, this figurative abstraction explores time, place, and the point at which the human and non-human silently intersect.

AWARDS AND EXHIBITIONS

Paul Smith’s paintings have been widely exhibited in the UK. His most notable solo show, Are You Leaving for the Country?, was at Muse Gallery in London. His modern landscape art has also been shortlisted for numerous awards, most notably the Dulux Let's Make Colour Awards and the Contemporary British Painting Prize.

Besides establishing his practice in London, Paul Smith's expressive art is in public and private collections worldwide, with his paintings being showcased at the China Academy of Art in Hangzhou, the UK, Ireland, the USA, Canada, France, Germany, and the Netherlands.