This fall, at Indianapolis’ Eitlejorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art, Daniel Smith will have his first one-man museum show. The honor is part of the Artist of Distinction award from the museum’s 2007 Quest for the West Art Show and Sale.
It was been a year of distinction for Smith. He was one of ten artists featured in Settlers West’s “Stars Over Tucson” this past March. His display, which showcased "A Nose for Honey," sold out on opening night. With their
excellent brush work and light-hearted composition, Smith’s lifelike images have become instant collector favorites.
“Bears have an uncanny sense of smell,” says Daniel. “Being omnivorous, they get most of their nutrients from nuts, berries and fish (which are not very filling) so they spend most of their lives searching for food. This grizzly bear has been fortunate enough to find a cache of honey within reach.”

"Everything I do is from personal experience," explains Daniel Smith, "whether it means working with a live bear as a model or waiting for the perfect last glowing light of the day, as was the case with 'Above the Falls.'" Smith sees and paints the unique character of each of his animals and is wonderfully skilled at using nature's elements to define his wild subjects. "What drew me into composing 'Above the Falls' was the incredible perspective of the stream and how it moves to a small focal point. Any number of subjects could have worked in this dramatic setting, but the lumbering bear seemed a perfect candidate. My hope is that the authenticity that went into creating this canvas would be felt by the viewer." It is this detail and scientific accuracy of Smith's art which has gained him legions of collectors as well as the attention of such pretigious organizations as the National Geographic Society. Above the Falls

The black bear, the smallest of the three North American species of bear, actually comes in many colors, ranging from bluish-black to brown. In the past, visitors to national parks sometimes fed the black bears and the animals occasionally frightened a tourist by aggressively approaching them for more food. When left alone in their own habitat, however, black bears are shy and avoid people. Visitors are forbidden to feed them now, so the bears have retreated to the back country where they lead an elusive existence in forests ranging as far north as Alaska and as far south as Mexico.
“I have spotted black bears on many hiking expeditions,” says artist Rod Frederick. “I encountered this full-grown male one day in the lingering snow of early spring in the Cascade Mountains of the Pacific Northwest. I turned the corner and there he was. Because bears have notoriously bad eyesight, it took a moment before he sensed me. When he did, he turned and ran. Seeing him so close was an exhilarating experience.”

“Some years ago,” said artist Judy Larson,® “I hiked alone for several days with my two dogs in the White Mountains of Arizona, home to the White Mountain Apache Tribe. The scenery was nothing short of breathtaking and I watched eagerly for wildlife. I knew that black bear, bobcats, deer, elk, coyotes, foxes, skunks and other animals were native to this area, but there were no signs of any of them. I was stunned that not once in two days did I hear a single bird, see one animal track or catch sight of even a small rodent. The wilderness was eerily silent.
"The forest trees seemed to be saying to me, “We are the only ones left to testify as to what once was, but no longer is.” So, I imagined that a number of animals were present around me, hidden just out of sight: a mountain lion, an eagle, a fox, and a wolf. And, in my mind’s eye, I saw a young grizzly padding his way softly through the first light snow of fall (the last grizzly was killed in Arizona in 1939)."

In prehistoric times bears were revered as gods. To this day, the power and magnificence of the bear stirs our imagination and emotions. "Cool Runnings" is a captivating portrait of an animal who has inspired both fear and fascination in mankind for millennia. Smith’s realistic style brings every drop of water and each wet hair on the grizzly’s face into sharp focus, making it clear that the artist has spent years studying these remarkable creatures.
Smith received the Artist of Distinction Award at the second annual Quest for the West Art Show and Sale at the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art. He was been invited to participate in the Autry National Center’s prestigious Masters of the American West Fine Art Exhibition and Sale for the fifth year in a row and "Art of the West" magazine dubbed him one of the “heirs apparents” to Western Wildlife master Robert Kuhn.

“'Gone Fishing' was inspired by a friend’s photo of brown bears taken in Katmai Park, Alaska,” says artist Daniel Smith. “The cubs are quite small so this would be in spring to early summer. These little guys will stay with their mother for almost two years and won’t reach their full size for another four years. Even the most hardened city-dweller knows about the bond between a mother bear and her cubs. The mother’s extreme protective instincts aren’t unfounded, especially concerning large boars, which will attack and kill cubs. She may be swimming ahead right now but her ears are cocked, listening for the paddles and grunts from the swimmers just behind her. Getting accustomed to water is not just play time for the young cubs. From late-August to mid-September, the sockeye salmon are spawning in the Brooks River at Katmai National Park and the bears are in and around the water eating fish for weeks, putting on the pounds and fat in preparation for November hibernation.
Collectors know that no one paints wildlife in water the way Daniel Smith does. A master of both his subject and his craft, his art is an essential part of any wildlife art collection.

“The annual salmon run attracts a multitude of wildlife,” says Dan Smith. “Grizzly bears feast on salmon as opportunistic gulls function as the cleanup crew. The complexity and efficiency of Mother Nature continues to amaze me. Watching bears feeding alternates between intense activity and calm moments. I don’t know if they can smell the salmon when they arrive or if they sense some other change, but once they become aware of it, when one bear goes out, they all go out.
“I’m very fortunate and blessed to refer to these experiences as ‘part of my job.’”
Daniel Smith is recognized as simply one of the best doing this “job” today. In the last twelve months:
Western Art and Architecture, Feb/March 2012, feature story, The Ties That Bind;
Western Art Collector, January 2012, Cover and feature story, Bears of Katmai;
Cynthia Post Small Works Great Wonders Buyers’ Choice Award, November, 2011 for Riverside;
Siesta received at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City;
People’s Choice Award, September, 2011 for Raven Rhetoric at Western Visions: Miniatures and More Show & Sale at the National Museum of Wildlife Art, Jackson Hole, WY;
Art of the West, May/June 2011, regular feature, The Studio;
Western Art Collector, April, 2011, feature story, Natural Talent;
Distinctly Montana, Spring, 2011, feature story, Like Father, Like Son;
Bob Kuhn Wildlife Award, February, 2011 for Heavy Hitters at the Masters of American West Fine art Exhibition and Sale at the Autry National Center, Los Angeles.
And you can easily own the art of this respected artist. Kodiak Collaboration presents that combination of elements for which Smith’s wildlife art is known: a majestic wild animal at home in its surroundings from a point of view few of us would ever be lucky enough to see; meticulous detail that gives lie to muscles rippling in stride beneath the animal’s fur and the tranquil, mirror-like quality of the water’s surface; all presented in a setting composed as only a master artist can.
Kodiak Collaboration is available in two sizes: a MasterWork™ Fine Art Edition at the original’s size of 36"w x 20"h with an exclusive number of only 15 canvases and a Fine Art Edition of 45 canvases at 27"w x 15"h. Bring the art of Daniel Smith into your home and experience the thrill of a riverside seat during Kodiak’s annual salmon run.

“Steve painted this in honor of my Native American-inspired music and my dedication to the larger circle of life. ‘Moonbear’ is the name of my recording company and this image is its symbol. I’ve always had a place in my heart for this beautiful painting.” ¯ Andrea Lyman
This Greenwich Workshop Anniversary edition features a bear, one of Steve's most-memorable yet rarely-painted subjects. The native Miwok word for the grizzly bear is the source of the name "Yosemite," which was the artist's favorite place on Earth. The quiet serenity of this, one of Steve's few images featuring the bear, is a reminder of our fellowship with both the natural and animal world which honor the memory and legacy of the artist.

"What a stunning painting,” I overheard. “Yes. Yes it is. It’s a Smith,” the collector informed his guest. The acknowledgement of long-term accomplishment and anticipation of excellence summed up in three words, “It’s a Smith.” What sets Dan’s realistic style apart is that he does not overpower the composition with details. In fact, his sensibility of design, color, highlights and shadows are more in line with impressionistic paintings. Tight painting reveals subtle textures in bear’s fur or the nuances of reflected light in running water, while overall the work is the integration of a few basic shapes and forms. An apt mirror of the intricate simplicity of the natural world. “When the fish are running and bear are feasting like this,” says Smith, “they won’t even waste their time eating the entire fish. They’ll focus on the skin and the fatty layer beneath, throwing the rest of the fish aside. On the surface it may appear wasteful, but it is extremely efficient when fattening up for the winter’s hibernation is the priority.

Acclaimed for his depictions of the natural world, Daniel Smith is one of the country's foremost wildlife artists. The surroundings in his native southwest Montana continue to inspire him and provide him with the opportunity to paint from personal experience, which gives his work both striking detail and stirring realism. Smith has admitted an attraction to predators and dangerous game and his affinity for great bears is apparent in "Retreat from the Heat."
As the harsh morning sun heats the earth, the only cool surface available to this magnificent grizzly bear is a rushing stream. The wet fur on his belly and legs attest to the bear's love of the water as he plunges in with his massive front paws. The water itself looks so inviting and the sun, so harsh, that you may have to stop yourself from attempting to share this grizzly's "Retreat from the Heat."

Wildlife artist Bonnie Marris is exuberant about her favorite subjects: wolves, horses and bears but just about any wildlife subject portrayed with their young is the most exciting of all. Marris took what became, for her, an historic research trip to Yellowstone National Park last year because she was lucky enough to witness an unusual number of bear and their young. Stationed near one of the only fast-running rivers in the Park, Marris observed the mother bring her babies down to see water for the first time. A ferocious and dangerous mammal, this mother bear treated her cubs with gentle patience and care.

“This is Wyoming,” Greg Beecham says. “Spectacular countryside, glacier streams. I horsepacked into this site with a group of other artists and the going wasn’t easy — the trail was ‘boulder city’ and at least one horse took a tumble. But once we reached this bend of Dinwoody Creek, all the effort was worth it because it gave the perfect view for a painting. The composition should take your eyes up and around, from the falls and mist, to the water-trapped branches, to the bear and down again. In a sense, the composition reflects the direction my art has been taking, showing the unity of elements in nature. Everything comes together.”
Enhanced with the artist’s original brushstrokes.

In the 1800s, seeing a grizzly in the mountains above Napa Valley would have been as common as seeing a deer. Then, grizzlies were as numerous in California as they are in Alaska. Vivid accounts of human maulings and bull-and-bear fights mingled legend and fact. The monstrous and ferocious grizzlies of California were described as weighing anywhere from several hundred to several thousand pounds. During the mid-1880s, although big game hunters arrived, along with the cattlemen, sheep men, the grizzly was a predator worthy of extermination. As the wilderness of the Sierras and the coastal thickets diminished in size from the encroachment of civilizations, California grizzlies were killed by the thousands. Sadly, although California’s state emblem is the Great Golden Bear, no wild grizzly has been seen here since 1922.
Things are different now. Ancient trees have been cut down and vineyards now grow in there stead. The scream of the hawk once solitary and piercing, was now quickly joined by the crow of someone’s backyard rooster. True, many of the forests of pine and fir, Manzanita and oak remain, overgrown and impenetrable. But there are no deer paths, no deer. So much of the magic is gone.