Sarah Smith is a fine artist from Ringwood, NJ, where she currently lives and works. She has a BFA in Fine Arts from the School of Visual Arts in NYC. She is greatly inspired by nature, wildlife protection & conservation, animal art, and the Hudson River School artists, of whom she is a descendant of Asher B. Durand.

Artist Statement

My work represents endangered species the way I see them; as unique creations and works of art themselves. My paintings are formed around their "portraits", where the animal is in a new space protected from the current threats to its environment. Safe within the confines of the canvas, these animals can only be observed from a distance, hopefully, appreciated for their power and beauty.

The subject matter selected in my work are species, places, and natural phenomena that greatly inspire me. My work is a combination of things I’ve seen myself, would like to see, or my own renditions inspired by colors and occurrences in nature. I have great respect and awe for all the handiwork of my Creator; the artist of Creation, and the author of my life. The beauty, power, and perfect intricacies found in these animals could be described as nothing other than immaculate artwork to me.

Job 12:7-10

But ask the animals, and they will teach you, or the birds in the sky, and they will tell you;
or speak to the earth, and it will teach you, or let the fish in the sea inform you.
Which of all these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this?
In his hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind.

New Works/Shows

I have done many smaller acrylic works on canvas (around 8”x8”) over the past two years or so that can be seen on my website or social media and are sold through Etsy. I have recently finished a large Bison oil painting, “Bison Meets White Sands, NM”, inspired by my own travels out west and in some of our country’s beautiful national parks. I am beginning a new large piece (47” x 61”) which will incorporate several species that have captured my attention lately, both land animals and aquatic life in one piece, which is a new avenue for me. I’m excited to begin!

About Endangered

I love Art4Apes and feel so fortunate to have exhibited work at the Art Basel Miami shows a few times. I support everything they do to raise awareness about these beautiful endangered animals while supporting individual artists’ creativity at the same time. I love seeing all the work by artists with similar concerns and influences as myself, all ages, experience levels, and backgrounds. Endangered species/habitat loss is a particular concern of mine because it shows quite evident how much respect and admiration has been lost over time for these individual animals and their own spaces. I view animals as artistic masterpieces, so I support any effort to encourage protection for their rights to inhabit their own environments without interference. My hope for my own artwork is for people to further consider their own relationship to these creatures and the natural world around them. The natural world is the most original artwork of all.

See more of Sarah’s work and get in touch with her, by clicking on the links below:

Website: http://www.sarahsmithart.com

Facebook: @sarahsmithartist

Instagram: @sarahsmithartist