Magdalena Area Artist Creates Art As Big As New Mexico's Sky
By Gwen Roath - SO publisher/peon
<center><img src=http://sonewmex.com/images/warrensmart_img2.jpg border=1 align=center><br><font size=2 color=black face="Arial Narrow">Warren Smart paints large. His canvasses convey his love of large spaces, <br>the open vistas of New Mexico where you can literally see for miles.</font></center>
Magdalena NM: Autumn is the best time of year in New Mexico: The days are not too hot and the evenings balmy. The beauty of the landscapes ripens with the harvests while the vast New Mexico skies hold enchantment both day and night.
Socorro celebrates Enchanted Night Skies with its annual Enchanted Skies Star Party and we chose to celebrate that beautiful evening sky on the cover of Steppin’ Out this month.
Warren Smart paints large. His canvasses convey his love of large spaces, the open vistas of New Mexico where you can literally see for miles. Vivid, velvet-like skies dominate his paintings. Warren takes starkness of landscape to dramatize the beauty of sunsets or the full moon. His technique of using watercolors to achieve the textural qualities and brilliance of color usually found only in oil paintings is his signature, a unique aspect of his style. In fact, he says, in order to achieve his effects, he lies the canvas down flat to paint the sky.
Born in Hot Springs, NM (Now Truth or Consequences), Warren was raised in a family of farmers, ranchers and teachers outside of Albuquerque. During his formative years, he worked on farms in New Mexico, Texas, and Kansas.
Now, he lives in his own wide-open space not far from Magdalena and bordering the Alamo Indian Reservation. But it seems like a long way away from the city: Signs of civilization recede as I wind my way along the dirt road leading to his studio and home. The recent rains are reflected in the wayside flowers, the fullness of the wild grasses. I meet no other vehicles. I have a chance to gaze at the huge bowl of sky broken only by an occasional windmill.
Those windmills I see later in works by Warren.
Warren is a prolific painter. “I don’t care if they sell,” he admits, “I just love doing what I do. I like taking that blank piece of paper and watching something grow out of that paper.” His studio reflects that: Canvasses in various stages are hung, stacked or sitting on easels, and threaten to take over his living space. The easels, not surprisingly, range in size from standard to wallsized.
Now that he can no longer physically handle his other career choice – cooking – he has more time and seemingly endless energy to create those pictures.
“I’m 55 going on 56,” he says proudly, “ and I still get that same excitement out of it.” He was five when he was given his first watercolor set. “I knew from an early age, I was in trouble,” he laughs. He used to sweep floors and clean up for the local butcher, but rather than candy, he asked for butcher paper, taking it home for creative projects. He sold his first painting at the age of 17 – while he was working as a cook in a restaurant.
Since then, his works have been shown regionally. In 2006, he won the Sponsor’s Award at the El Paso Art Associations’ 39th International Juried Show. He’ll be exhibiting in that show again this year (beginning Oct. 5) and is in an exhibit through Oct. 7 in Silver City with the Mimbres Regional Art Council.
Currently he’s concentrating his efforts toward his next big venture: He’s been asked to do a one-man show in El Paso next May.
You can see one image, an 8-ft x 4-ft painting at The Hyatt Regency Tamaya, Santa Ana Pueblo. He is currently represented by Peppers Gallery in Magdalena. His virtual space: www.galleryinthesun.com/Warren-Smart/ (http://www.galleryinthesun.com/Warren-Smart/)
“I don’t name my pictures,” Warren says. “I just paint them.”
<center><img src=http://sonewmex.com/images/warrensmart_img1.jpg border=1 align=center><br><font size=2 color=black face="Arial Narrow">"Moon Over Sandias and Manzanos" by Warren Smart is featured on the cover of <br>Steppin' Out's October / November 2007 issue.</font></center>
By Gwen Roath - SO publisher/peon
<center><img src=http://sonewmex.com/images/warrensmart_img2.jpg border=1 align=center><br><font size=2 color=black face="Arial Narrow">Warren Smart paints large. His canvasses convey his love of large spaces, <br>the open vistas of New Mexico where you can literally see for miles.</font></center>
Magdalena NM: Autumn is the best time of year in New Mexico: The days are not too hot and the evenings balmy. The beauty of the landscapes ripens with the harvests while the vast New Mexico skies hold enchantment both day and night.
Socorro celebrates Enchanted Night Skies with its annual Enchanted Skies Star Party and we chose to celebrate that beautiful evening sky on the cover of Steppin’ Out this month.
Warren Smart paints large. His canvasses convey his love of large spaces, the open vistas of New Mexico where you can literally see for miles. Vivid, velvet-like skies dominate his paintings. Warren takes starkness of landscape to dramatize the beauty of sunsets or the full moon. His technique of using watercolors to achieve the textural qualities and brilliance of color usually found only in oil paintings is his signature, a unique aspect of his style. In fact, he says, in order to achieve his effects, he lies the canvas down flat to paint the sky.
Born in Hot Springs, NM (Now Truth or Consequences), Warren was raised in a family of farmers, ranchers and teachers outside of Albuquerque. During his formative years, he worked on farms in New Mexico, Texas, and Kansas.
Now, he lives in his own wide-open space not far from Magdalena and bordering the Alamo Indian Reservation. But it seems like a long way away from the city: Signs of civilization recede as I wind my way along the dirt road leading to his studio and home. The recent rains are reflected in the wayside flowers, the fullness of the wild grasses. I meet no other vehicles. I have a chance to gaze at the huge bowl of sky broken only by an occasional windmill.
Those windmills I see later in works by Warren.
Warren is a prolific painter. “I don’t care if they sell,” he admits, “I just love doing what I do. I like taking that blank piece of paper and watching something grow out of that paper.” His studio reflects that: Canvasses in various stages are hung, stacked or sitting on easels, and threaten to take over his living space. The easels, not surprisingly, range in size from standard to wallsized.
Now that he can no longer physically handle his other career choice – cooking – he has more time and seemingly endless energy to create those pictures.
“I’m 55 going on 56,” he says proudly, “ and I still get that same excitement out of it.” He was five when he was given his first watercolor set. “I knew from an early age, I was in trouble,” he laughs. He used to sweep floors and clean up for the local butcher, but rather than candy, he asked for butcher paper, taking it home for creative projects. He sold his first painting at the age of 17 – while he was working as a cook in a restaurant.
Since then, his works have been shown regionally. In 2006, he won the Sponsor’s Award at the El Paso Art Associations’ 39th International Juried Show. He’ll be exhibiting in that show again this year (beginning Oct. 5) and is in an exhibit through Oct. 7 in Silver City with the Mimbres Regional Art Council.
Currently he’s concentrating his efforts toward his next big venture: He’s been asked to do a one-man show in El Paso next May.
You can see one image, an 8-ft x 4-ft painting at The Hyatt Regency Tamaya, Santa Ana Pueblo. He is currently represented by Peppers Gallery in Magdalena. His virtual space: www.galleryinthesun.com/Warren-Smart/ (http://www.galleryinthesun.com/Warren-Smart/)
“I don’t name my pictures,” Warren says. “I just paint them.”
<center><img src=http://sonewmex.com/images/warrensmart_img1.jpg border=1 align=center><br><font size=2 color=black face="Arial Narrow">"Moon Over Sandias and Manzanos" by Warren Smart is featured on the cover of <br>Steppin' Out's October / November 2007 issue.</font></center>