Kay Smith (artist)

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Kay Smith
Born (1923-02-27) February 27, 1923 (age 101)
Vandalia, Illinois, U.S.
EducationArt
Alma materSchool of the Art Institute of Chicago
Known forPaintings and illustrations
Websitewww.kaysmithartist.com

Kay Smith (born February 27, 1923)[1] is a historical artist, who specializes in using watercolors and depicting landscapes.

Early life

Smith grew up in Vandalia, Illinois and was the fourth of six children.[1]

Career

During World War II, she moved to Chicago and attended classes at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.[1] She worked as a commercial illustrator until the 1970s, when she turned to historical subjects.[2] She visited historical sites to depict them accurately and raise awareness about these sites importance to the national heritage.[3]

For 21 years, Smith taught a watercolor class at the Old Town Triangle Art Center in Old Town, Chicago.[1]

She has produced four books on her artwork and more than 250 paintings.[4] She illustrated over 30 books for Thomas Jones, an editor at J.G. Ferguson Publishing Co.[5]

Later life

At the age of 73, she was struck by Guillain–Barré syndrome which left her almost paralyzed. After rehabilitation, her daughter encouraged her to keep painting. She is still taking commissions after turning 90 years of age.[1][6]

Awards and recognition

In 1994, she was named the Artist Laureate of Illinois by The Lincoln Academy of Illinois.[7][8] On the occasion of her 100th birthday, 27 February 2023 was proclaimed Kay Smith Day in Chicago by the Mayor's office.[9]

Major works

Red Tails escorting the B17s in the permanent collection of the Pritzker Military Museum & Library

Her major works include a series of

Illinois Governors' Mansion.[2]

She was commissioned by The Ernest Hemingway Foundation of Oak Park to do paintings depicting the Ernest Hemingway books The Snows of Kilimanjaro and The Old Man and the Sea.[10] Some of her Hemingway paintings were exhibited as part of the Hemingway Centennial Celebration in Oak Park in 1999.[11][12]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e "At 90, artist Kay Smith follows her straight road". Chicago Tribune. 2013-03-01. Retrieved 2013-10-11.
  2. ^ a b "Art of the state". Chicago Tribune. 2005-04-17. Retrieved 2013-10-11.
  3. ^ Edgell, page 64.
  4. ^ a b The Cook-Witter Report, Volume 27, Number 2, October 2012, pages 1–3
  5. ^ "Awash In Americana". Chicago Tribune. 1994-07-21. Retrieved 2013-10-11.
  6. ^ "Artist Discovers That A Still Life Can Be Moving". Chicago Tribune. 1997-05-18. Retrieved 2013-10-11.
  7. ^ "Chicago Artist Kay Smith brings a local Chicago connection to Disney's movie "Secretariat, by Kay Smith Arts". 1888pressrelease.com. 2010-09-27. Retrieved 2013-10-11.
  8. ^ "Kay Smith - Biography, vital info and auction records for Kay Smith". Askart.com. Retrieved 2013-10-11.
  9. ^ "Proclamation by Lori E. Lightfoot, Mayor of Chicago" (PDF). 2023-02-27.
  10. ^ "Meet artist laureate Kay Smith". Petoskey News. 2010-08-18. Retrieved 2013-10-11.
  11. ^ Joravsky, Ben (1999-07-15). "Hemingway Centennial Celebration". Chicago Reader. Retrieved 2013-10-11.
  12. ^ "Painting Like Hemingway Wrote," Hemingway Despatch, Winter 2009, page 8.

Bibliography

External links
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