Creative Careers: Artist Educator Kim Smith

Sun, Oct 2nd 2016, 03:07 PM


Montagu drawing by Kim Smith

Born in Saskatchewan, Canada Smith's early career choice was working with children. Although this was something he initially had no interest in, after training and teaching as a primary school teacher for three years, Smith grew to love being in the classroom.

After completing his Bachelor of Education in Visual Arts and Mathematics at the University of Regina, Smith's teaching career continued throughout Canada. In 1986 he joined a teaching exchange programme in Wales, the United Kingdom that allowed him to travel throughout Europe on his breaks where he embraced new international experiences. After returning to Canada, he grew tired of its winters and began a search for opportunities in warmer climates, which brought him to The Bahamas in 1991.

Smith moved to Nassau and joined the Anglican Central Education Authority where he taught at St. John's College for a year and transferred to St. Anne's. Having served as a homeroom teacher for eight years, Smith wanted to focus on art education and applied to the Catholic Board of Education.

"In my second interview with Sis Mary Benedict Pratt she offered me an option of teaching at St. Cecilia's or Our Lady's and I asked which one participated in Junior Junkanoo. She said Our Lady's so I opted for St. Cecilia's because I knew by the end of October Our Lady's art classroom became a Junkanoo shack."

Smith spent his last nine years in formal education at St. Cecilia's Catholic Primary School. With over thirty years of teaching experience, Smith has found it very difficult to balance his love for the creative practice as an artist and educator.

"I was drawing professionally for ten years from 1977, but teaching never really allowed me to create new work. Moving to The Bahamas, I spent the first year settling into my new environment, and in 1992 I bought some pencils to see if I still had my talent. My Fort Montagu drawing was the first drawing I created in The Bahamas."

Smith's 40-year practice has focused on developing his technique of hyperaeolism. Having spent 20 years working in graphite in his early career since the 90s, he has dedicated almost 20 years working solely in colored pencils. In 2001 Smith was accepted into the Coconut Grove Arts Festival in Miami. He was recognized as the first colored pencil artist ever to exhibit. A proud moment for Smith especially considering The Colored Pencil Society of America had been unsuccessful for ten years to have an artist ever accepted.

In 2001 he founded "The Place For Art", a specialized studio which offers after-school, evening and weekend art classes for all ages. This studio has been the foundation for many young Bahamians who went on to pursue careers in the creative industry including illustrator and photographer Theo McClain, graphic designer Lindsay Braynen, and motion graphics designer Jeremy Cartwright.

"Teaching full time at St. Cecilia's while spending evenings and weekends at The Place For Art, I had no personal time left for drawing. In 2005 a good friend of mine Keren Ramsey inspired me to start drawing again. Every time I have these gaps its almost as if the vision and work changes."

Smith is indeed a man of many creative visions. In 2015 he solidified his hopes of opening a picture framing business with professional framer Andrew Ash. Although no longer teaching full time Smith's dual role in The Place for Art as an educator and an administrator for its framing services, still leaves him with little time to create work. As a result, he has limited his artistic practice which results in him producing roughly one piece a year. On September 10th Smith opened his solo exhibition 'Medium of The Masters, Master of The Medium' in the Project Space Room at The National Art Gallery of The Bahamas where he unveiled his 2016 colored pencil drawing 'The Yellow Poinciana.'

Although considered a master of his medium, Smith attributes his skill and artistic aptitude to a generational talent. His father's lineage stems from generations of priests, artists, engineers, and scientists and his grandmother's family the Beringers were artists and scientists. "I see teaching as my form of ministry and art as my gift. I did not go to school to learn how to draw. What I have is a genetic, ancestral and God-given gift talent. A day does not go by that I am not thankful to God for it because art has given me a fantastic life."

Smith's collection of ancestral drawings includes works that are almost 200 years old. One by Edward William Smith his great, great grandfather was produced in 1819 and has inspired Smith to dedicate his next show to 'Two Centuries of Smith" celebrating the creative legacy of his family.

By Keisha Oliver

Click here to read more at The Nassau Guardian

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