Meet Matthew Smith | Artist & Teacher

We had the good fortune of connecting with Matthew Smith and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Matthew, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
I pursued an artistic career because like many artists/creatives, I have been creating art since I can remember. From drawing dinosaurs very early on, to drawing my favorite cartoon, video game, and movie characters growing up, I was always creating, always using my imagination. Looking back, no amount of foresight could have predicted how it would change me. I have learned and grown so much, not only as an artist, but as a human being.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
My dedication to mastering the classical aspects of art has helped me get to where I am today. I guess I am an artist’s artist, I just want to paint and draw what I want, whether it’s just a portrait or figure, to something with more of a story, or more abstract in idea, but all still representational and done with excellent craftsmanship. I enjoy experimenting and having fun! People probably mostly know me as a teacher, but I have also created art for the entertainment and apparel industries. Last year, I was selected to create a couple portrait drawings for TIME Magazine’s Women of the Year edition. One of the most crowning achievements of my career! Currently, I am teaching my own online classes and running a Patreon with art training videos. Last summer, I started to get into plein air painting. It’s been a great new challenge for me and stress relief from the Covid pandemic.

Getting to where I am today has been quite the journey, not without its challenges and struggles. My path for a career has changed a lot since I first began pursuing it professionally. When I set off to college, I had dreams of becoming an animator and creating my own cartoons (deep down a part of me still wants to create cartoons and stories). During college (early 2000s), there was a collapse in the animation world, a lot of companies apparently shut down their studios. So, then I decided I wanted to be a concept artist for video games. My brother and I (I am a twin) set out to California, from upstate New York, to do so.

I remember at one point questioning myself if I was ever going to get good enough. It can be quite a daunting task when you know the quality of art that’s comes before you and your goal is to be at that same level. There is also a point in learning that hits like a brick wall, that this type of art is hard work. So, I decided to change my mindset. It was no longer about getting a good drawing in a 2-hour class. If I got an ok drawing with maybe a nice area, I was happy, as long as the work I did professionally and at home got better, I was headed in the right direction. Often times the ego and the mind can blind you. You need to reassess yourself, figure out where your weaknesses are and how to plan for improvement instead of believing and thinking you should be good just because.
I also recommend taking up other creative hobbies as well. For example, I enjoy cooking and baking. I used to bake cookies and cakes for my students quite a bit. Having another outlet when your main creative source goes through a difficult time can be stress relieving. It’s just another form of creativity and using the brain and can be just as rewarding.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Starting in LA and heading down to San Diego, here are some of my favorite spots. I feel that The Getty is a must visit. I have been multiple times, they have great art and have seen several wonderful shows there, one of my favorites being on Jean-Leon Gerome. Many movies have been filmed there as well. I would also suggest visiting Gallery Nucleus. I have bought plenty of the hard-to-find Chinese books on Russian figure drawing there. The Autry is another great place to check out, especially from February-March, during the Masters of the American West Art Exhibit. The San Diego Zoo and Safari Park are a must visit. I have spent many hours there sketching the animals with my friends, as well as visiting Balboa Park, where the zoo is located. San Diego Museum of Art has a few nice pieces and every once in a while, puts on a great show, most recently the one on William Adolphe Bouguereau from last year and about 5 years ago the one on Joaquin Sorolla.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Well first and foremost I would like to dedicate my Shoutout to my parents, Jeanne and Jeff. Through their continued love and support, along with dealing with my stubbornness (I am an Aries, I don’t know much of Astrology, but I hear Aries are stubborn) I wouldn’t be where I am today without them. As well as my twin brother Greg, we have had a similar rivalry to that of Ryu and Ken from Street Fighter, but in art, I am Ryu, he’s Ken. As well as my cousin Zack who made me a more competitive person from all the video games we used to play.

Website: www.mattksmith.com

Instagram: @mattdrawsstuff

Other: https://www.patreon.com/mattdrawsstuff