Colette’s Story
A lifelong Wisconsin native, Ms. Smith is a painter of contemporary landscapes that often blur the distinctions between realism and abstraction. Art has always been her love and nature’s mysteries and hidden meanings continue to be her muse. Even puddles and cracked sidewalks caught her eye as a girl growing up in Milwaukee in a large working-class family.
She earned her degree in Fine Art, Humanities, and Education at Macalester College in St. Paul, then taught public school art and raised two children. A pastel class at MIAD, the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design set her on her career path for nearly 30 years now. Ms. Smith works from her home and studio in Wauwatosa, WI, not far from where she was raised.
While her extensive travels nationally and internationally have expanded her vision and insights, she remains at heart a midwestern girl in love with the richness of the landscape she is grounded in. She has pursued her career with commercial galleries and by actively exhibiting in prestigious juried competitions and invitational curated shows in public art venues.
Her paintings have been featured in several books and art publications and exhibited widely in the United States, France, Germany, and China. They have received over 70 regional, national, and international awards. Ms. Smith has written articles and juried for the Pastel Journal and The Artists Magazine. She has judged the prestigious international exhibitions of the Pastel Society of America and the International Association of Pastel Societies. Additionally, she teaches workshops, offers critiques and demonstrations. She has been honored as a Maître Pastelliste by the Societe des Pastellistes de France, Master Pastelist and Advisory Board Member by the Pastel Society of America, Eminent Pastelist and Masters’ Circle member by the International Association of Pastel Societies, and Distinguished Pastelist by the Pastel Society of New Mexico. Her work hangs in public, corporate and private collections, including the Ming Gallery Museum of Pastel in Suzhou, China.
She offers her work in the spirit of service.
MEMBERSHIP GROUPS LINKS:
League of Milwaukee Artists
milwaukeeartists.org
Pastel Society of America
www.pastelsocietyofamerica.org
Pastel Society of New Mexico
www.pastelsnm.org
IAPS
www.iapspastel.org
Societe des Pastellistes de France
pastellistesdefrance.com
Wisconsin Pastel Artists
www.wisconsinpastelartists.com
Wisconsin Visual Artists
wisconsinvisualartists.com