Born in Portsmouth, Donald Smith studied in London and Nigeria. He lives and works in the Darenth Valley, Kent, described by the 19th century artist, Samuel Palmer, as the ‘Valley of Vision”.

 

Donald’s paintings consist of small fragments of vibrant colour applied to finely woven linen, creating oscillating fields of energy. When we talk of a ‘field’ in nature we do not focus on individual blades of grass etc, rather we perceive the whole; likewise, in these paintings, repeated coloured elements make up the bigger picture with blips and variations, hand-painted by a fallible human.

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These abstract paintings are not generally pre-planned; Donald usually starts with a blank canvas and some basic ideas and creates an improvised fusion of experiences. Both paint and linen are visible in the finished works - the warp and weft of different materials creating a dynamic matrix of light and space. Woven linen is an ancient technology and an early example of a portable ‘grid’ or ‘network’ connecting people, environment and creativity. Some of these paintings have grid-like qualities, however, as with ‘Casa Rosa’ and ‘Opera Dourada’, occasionally this web of paint becomes more organic and curvaceous, adding to the already animated surface.

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Donald Smith has exhibited widely in the UK and internationally for 40 years and has collaborated on many creative projects with the fashion, music and hospitality sectors including a screen designed for the Intercontinental Hotel at No.1 Park Lane; an album cover for Jah Wobble; an installation of coloured mirrors for Salt restaurant at Marble Arch; in-store installations and magazine features for the fashion brand Burro in London,Tokyo and Vienna. Donald was Director of Exhibitions at Chelsea College of Art, where he worked from 1991-2022 and is respected internationally as a curator who has collaborated with major cultural figures across art, design and

popular culture.

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Donald Smith was elected Chairman of Chelsea Arts Club (2005-8) representing an international creative community of members and presiding over events such as the unveiling of a plaque to the artist Whistler in Paris and the 70th birthday dinner for Sir Peter Blake attended by Sir Paul McCartney, Paul Weller, Noel Gallagher et al. Donald has made many dear friends at the Club including Patrick Hughes, Steve Thomas and Sandra Higgins! He cites six late members - the artists Noel Forster and Albert Irvin RA, architect, Will Alsop OBE RA, hospitality guru, Roy Ackerman CBE, the Director of RIBA Trust, Charles Knevitt, and the actor Dudley Sutton - as inspirational friends and mentors.