"Tabula Rasa, Don't tread on me" Painting

Mark T Smith's work is a neo-classic counter-revolution to the emotionally vapid and endlessly self-referencing post-modern thought and artwork. His artwork embraces the classic skills of drawing and painting with the balance of a modern mindset. The artist has a primary interest in the tactile experience of making beautiful expressions in the traditional forms of drawing, painting, printmaking and sculpture. Throughout his career, he has carefully sought out opportunities to display and apply artwork in a manner that will reach as many people as possible, while maintaining tight control on the quality and content of the artwork. In addition, he has spent his career participating in the numerically smaller but more influential circles of the galleries and museums; however, the artist believes that artwork has a primary function to ennoble the public. In order to create an awareness and appreciation of the Arts, Art must be connected to and integrated into our daily lives and must find applications that engenders understanding and implants the desire to have the Arts as a permanent partner in the everyday experience of our lives.