Frank Vining Smith (1879 - 1967) American
Watercolor on Paper
Measure 3"in H x 5"in W and 11 1/4"in H x 13 1/4"in W with frame

Known for: Marine-ship, wildlife, illustration
Biography: Frank Vining Smith, we affectionately called him "Smithy", was a distant cousin of mine. Although somewhat far-removed on the family tree, we were very close. I spent the greater part of my childhood summers, from age four on, with Smithy and his family. For many years he resided with his wife Nella Lesta Bonney, her sister Florence Bonney, and their dear friend, Ednah Blanchard at their High Street home in Hingham, Massachusetts. Smithy painted murals on the dining room walls of the house in Hingham. On the west wall he created a typical New England harbor scene, a great brigantine anchored in the forefront, sails half lowered and lazily flapping in the breeze, and in the far distance, a clipper beating its way into the harbor. On the north wall he created a more distant harbor (most likely Canton), with a large Chinese junk, red sails underway. A South Sea island, with swaying palm trees and a schooner on the horizon, occupied the east wall of the dining room. He was a member of the Guild of Boston Artists and a four-time winner of the Richard Mitton Gold Medal Award in the Jordan Marsh New England Artist's Show. One-man exhibitions of his paintings have been held in Boston, Chicago, Detroit, Pittsburgh, San Francisco, and New York. His marine paintings still hang in museums and private collections from coast to coast. He was a former rear commodore and lifetime member of the Cruising Club of America, and enjoyed memberships in both New Bedford and Hingham Yacht Clubs. On June 12, 1954, the artist's beloved wife Nella died, thus beginning Smithy's declining years. Later that same year he suffered a cerebral hemorrhage, and in 1958 was successfully operated on for cancer. Four years later he suffered a slight shock and began referring to himself as an "armchair sailor". In spite of his failing health, and although frequently plagued by double vision, the artist continued to turn out canvases until the last few years of his life. On July 30, 1967 Frank Vining Smith died at his home, with lifelong friend Ednah Blanchard by his side. The Reverend Donald Robinson, pastor of the Second Parish Church of Hingham said of the artist, "he was great in his chosen work and yet equally great in his simple humanity", a sentiment shared by all of us who were fortunate enough to have known him.

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