Joe Smith

Joe K Smith (b. 1954) is a Massachusetts artist who best known for his scratchboard works. His art connects his lifelong enjoyment of drawing with his career as a forester and conservationist. This career has brought him to places off the beaten path, and his art has allowed him to preserve and honor the beauty he has found there.

Joe draws and paints in a variety of mediums but he is best known for his scratchboard work. He began producing scratchboards in 2010 and they immediately earned rave reviews and awards. On the strength of this work, he was accepted as an artist member of the Copley Society of Art, The International Society of Scratchboard Artists (ISSA), the Rockport Art Association and Museum and the North Shore Art Association. His piece, Branches, was awarded the Best in Show Award at the 2015 ISSA Annual Exhibition and he has been honored as a Copley Artist by the Copley Society of Art.

Joe’s favorite subjects are trees and forests and his work is mostly drawn from the varied landscapes of his beloved New England home. His finely detailed work captures the unique character and spirit of the wild places that exist all around us, but just out of sight.