Matt Read Smith (Arizona / Missouri, b. 1960), "Shadow Creek", oil on linen mounted on board, signed lower left, inscribed on the verso with signature, title, medium, and size

sight: 12 x 16 in., frame: 16.5 x 20.5 in.

Provenance: Property from a Wimberley, Texas art and antiques collector

Matt Smith, born in Kansas City, Missouri, is a plein-air landscape painter and respected instructor, particularly at the Scottsdale Artists School in Arizona. Early exposure to European art during family stays in France and Switzerland, combined with formal training at Arizona State University (BFA, 1985) and study with Merrill Mahaffey at Phoenix College, proved to be a strong foundation for his career. Smith's paintings have been widely exhibited, including at the Prix de West, the Autry Museum’s Masters of the American West Show, Plein-Air Painters of America, and the Northwest Rendezvous; he won the Eleanor Libby Award at Scottsdale Artists School and received the Robert Lougheed Award at the 2000 Prix de West Show at the National Cowboy Hall of Fame for the best group of three or more paintings, establishing him as a prominent voice in contemporary Western and plein-air art.