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 Artist’s Background
Leonard John (Thomas) Smith, Australian Army Veteran was born in 1946 to William (Bill) and Jean Smith at Taree near Saltwater, New South Wales, Australia and is a descendant of the Aboriginal Clan of that area, Biripi; His Mother, Jean (nee Bunyan) and Paternal Grandmother, Irene Smith (nee Dunn), are both of Irish Origin. He has a wonderful combination of a very rich culture.
His mother Jean was an accomplished artist, teacher and brilliant fisher woman.
Although orphaned by the time he was just 7 years old Thomas Smith after a short military career achieved a very successful corporate and business career and excelled in the academic world, lecturing at The School of Management, Macquarie University, Sydney NSW, Australia, in its Executive Management Program under the guidance of Emeritus Professor John Hunt MBE.
Thomas had always shown an extraordinary gift in drawing and painting and won his first art competition at the age of 7 in a drawing competition in his home town of Taree, NSW hosted by the local radio station, 2RE. However, it was not until an accident in 2000 where he sustained a fractured neck that Thomas, as a catharsis to this painful crisis began taking his art more seriously.
Since that time, Thomas has rapidly developed his very own style in Aboriginal Art/Dot Art, using Acrylic paints beautifully constructed in bright colors depicting his interpretation of the Australian outback landscape and his native area of Saltwater and in the Manning Valley. Influenced by his Chinese born wife Rita, Thomas also developed an amazing skill in producing his own style of beautifully colored Chinese works. He stated that these works just seemed natural to him; again depicting his heritage links to that country, the flora and fauna, its’ people and its’ earth.
Whilst there clearly is a passing down of skill from his Aboriginal Heritage, his patient attention to detail was bestowed upon him by his late mother Jean, herself a wonderful sketcher and drawer. In 1970 when Thomas was in Gove, Arnhem Land, NT, he had the honour and pleasure of being taught Aboriginal Art in the Traditional way by two 'Full Blood' Aboriginal artists, years before the Contemporary Acrylic Paint on Canvas was shown to the world by the late Geoff Bardon. Thomas has drawn on this skill and his passionate Australian History knowledge to also capture his interpretation of many Australian Historical events during Australia’s Colonialism. Hopefully this art will give the public generally and in particular Australia’s children, through his art, a more meaningful understanding of Australia’s past and an enrichment of Thomas' proud cultures.
Thomas’ works also include selected limited print editions proudly hanging in private collections around the world and awareness of this artist’s amazing works continue to rise;
Exhibitions:
Very successful first solo exhibition at the Manning Regional Art Gallery (MRAG) in Taree, NSW in 2006;
A private showing in Shanghai, China earlier the same year.
Exhibited "Bush Tucker-Lilly Pilli" at Bush Berries Cafe Gallery, Redfern, Sydney May 2008 and was publically voted the 'Best Painting".
Exhibited selected works at Western Region, Sydney, Uniting Church in 2008.
Exhibited selected works at Western International School, Shanghai 2009.
Thomas’ entire Aboriginal and Chinese, Australian and some selected other works are accompanied by his written interpretation (story) and explanation of his Art; a historical fact sheet of his people’s culture through to Australia’s Colonial era and modern day times.
Many of Thomas’ inspirations have come from his family’s history story telling,(Dreamtime)and from his own vaste life experiences including, extensive visits through outback Australia and overseas; South East Asia and particularly mainland China, and from the thousands of photographs he and his wife Rita have captured over the past decade.
Thomas, known as Len in his hometown of Taree, NSW, Australia comes from a family steeped in local history. His maternal Grandfather, George Bunyan built the now heritage listed Old Bar Aerodrome and has a 1988 Bi-centennial Plaque to the entrance to Old Bar Beach, crediting him with this task. His father, William (Bill) Smith, also known as the "Mayor" of Saltwater is credited with "Lighting of the Lanterns", guiding war planes onto the Old Bar Airstrip during World War 2, which is now used as the theme for the highly successful annual Old Bar Festival.
Hobbies: Researching, reading and writing Indigenous heritage and history. Book collecting, Bonsai growing,music and Didgiredoo playing.
Inquiries for Commissioned work are most welcomed.
Thomas is also available to give talks and demonstrate Aboriginal Art in your school.
We trust you enjoy this committed passionate Australian Aboriginals meaningful and wonderfully coloured works of Art.
Thomas Smith
Artist
Saltwater Dreamtime
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