Pete Smith
Pete Smith was born in Sydney and grew up in the suburb of Woollahra. Pete’s father (a famous artist) Eric Smith, was a painter and at the forefront of Abstraction in Australia during the 70’s and 80’s – winning many prizes including three Archibalds. His friends and other famous artists of his era included Margaret Olley, Ray Crooke, Clifton Pugh, Charles Blackman and Brett Whiteley to mention a few.
When Pete Smith was young, he fell in love with comics which inspired him to write and draw many of his own, until he found photography at just 15. On leaving school, Pete got a job in a commercial photography studio as the photographer’s assistant.
After four years as a photo assistant and now at 19 years old, Pete Smith applied and was accepted into Sydney College of the Arts to study printmaking. After college Pete traveled to Europe to explore and absorb the various cultures and architecture. On returning Pete got into experimental film making and mixed media theatre. Working with composers and dancers they put on shows at the Cell Block theatre and the Seymour Centre.
In 1994, Pete Smith and his wife moved to Uki at the foot of Woollumbin in the Tweed Shire and started up a commercial design studio called The Tin Studio which operated for many years.
Pete took up painting and had two sell out solo shows at Waywood Gallery Byron Bay. They moved back to Sydney in 2000 to be closer to the family and continued his painting practice, but was leaning back towards his photographic passion – doing what you might call street photography. He was very successful, and Pete designed and created many books of his work, as well as publishing books for private clients.
In 2018 Pete, moved back to the Tweed Shire and started toying with the idea of doing collage with his photographs, based on painting experiments he had worked on. Over the years Pete Smith has developed a unique style of 3d art, using canvas and photo paper on board. What Pete is now creating, is a synthesis of art drawing on the various forms of art he has worked in. As you can see, this pulls together a unique set of skills, especially sequential art like film making and comics.
“I think of my work as a film in a frame, Pete says. And with a recent visit to Japan my work has been really stimulated with its blend of old and new along with the vibrant colours of this wonderful people, culture and country”.
Pete Smith’s artworks are housed under glass and beautifully finished in wood frames, which create a window into the urbanscape, landscape or still life.
You might say Pete Smith is a late bloomer, though we believe he is right on time and well worth collecting!
Artwork
Pete Smith – Shibuya life (Japanese series)
Pete Smith – Golden Buddha (Japanese series)
Pete Smith – The Eight (Japanese series)
Pete Smith – Yamagata lunch (Japanese series)
Pete Smith – Bicycle parking prohibited (Japanese series)
Pete Smith – J pop instore (Japanese series)
Pete Smith – Moon rise over Osaka (Japanese series)
Pete Smith – Peanut icecream (Japanese series)
Pete Smith – Mac’s Barber style (Japanese series)
Pete Smith -Eric’s ceiling
Pete Smith – The long walk home
Pete Smith – Wrong way
Pete Smith – Darlinghurst Graffiti
Pete Smith – Darlinghurst Graffiti II
Pete Smith – Looking for the car
Pete Smith – Beach holidays
Pete Smith – Betty Blue’s backyard
Pete Smith – Home of Woollumbin (Mount Warning)
Pete Smith – Paradise
Pete Smith – Surfs up
Pete Smith – Before the burning
Pete Smith – Flight of the butterfly
Pete Smith – Vegetarian delight (Japanese series)
Pete Smith – Fallen Bike (Japanese series)
