Bio

Born in St. Paul, Minnesota in 1940, Tucker Smith’s family moved to Pinedale, Wyoming when he was 12.  He developed his artistic skills early but was not strongly encouraged by his parents to pursue art; viewing it as more of a hobby.  Smith went on to earn a degree in Math and had a long and successful career as a computer programmer and systems analyst.  However, his love of the Western landscape never left him and by the early seventies he began pursuing fine art as a career full time.  Smith has gone on to earn many awards for his expert depiction of western wildlife and landscapes.  Summing up his own personal philosophy on his art, Smith relates that, “I would rather convey a mood while portraying reality.  I want to paint the actual rather than the ideal and I try to avoid sentimentality and nostalgia” (Contemporary Western Painters, p.492).  Smith’s work is represented in eight prestigious museums including the Buffalo Bill Center of the West, the Denver Art Museum, and the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum.