Jon L. Smith Artwork and Portfolio

I'm currently 28 , recently graduated from Santa Fe College, and I'm currently living in Gainesville, Fl. I was born in Conway, SC, just outside Myrtle Beach. I lived the majority of my childhood in Myrtle Beach and took an interest in the arts at a very young age. I look back on my childhood and I recall the fondness for one of the most inspirational people I know, my Nana. She is an artist herself and I can definitely say she helped craft the man I am today. If it wasn't for her, I don't know where I would be in my life, but I know it wouldn't be better then where I'm at now.

As an artist, I’m always thinking of creative and imaginative ideas for later use in a project or a particular piece of work, but I don't set out to produce art about one subject or another. While I use a variety of materials and processes in each project my methodology is consistent. Although there may not always be material similarities between the different projects, the subject matter of each body of work determines the materials and the forms of the work.
I always establish my approach to each project by sketch first. After I’ve created a suitable visual concept that I may refer back on, I’ll then approach the main project at hand. I can be very meticulous in the initial development of work, so that I can grant the level of detail and accuracy necessary to complete the piece.
I have been greatly influenced by my family in the development of my skills and ideology, but as I become more educated in the development of art in both the past and present. I find myself attracted to the realistic approach to art through sketch, paint, and sculpture, much like the earlier artists of pre-photography. I cherish the idea of art not having just a skilled viewership from the audience, but an emotional connection to the pieces and a respect for the time performed by the artist in the artworks completion ..