Early Life and Artistic Beginnings

Lee N. Smith III was born in 1950 in New Orleans. When he was six years old, his family moved from the Louisiana coast to Dallas. This change in scenery marked the beginning of a life shaped by the landscapes of Texas. He did not follow a traditional academic path in the arts, as he had no formal art training. Instead, his early years were defined by a variety of practical, hands-on roles. He spent time working as a short-order cook and an apprentice machinist, and he also found work in commercial art production.

The 1970s were a period of musical exploration for him. During this decade, Lee N. Smith III played bass guitar in both rock and country bands. This time spent in the music scene provided a different kind of rhythm to his life before he eventually turned his focus toward the canvas. In 1974, he began painting, a practice that would eventually define his professional life. He moved from the practicalities of manual labor and music into a world of color and composition, finding his own way to express the world around him.

Artistic Style and Personal Mythology

Smith’s work is a deep dive into the quiet, often overlooked rituals of childhood. He draws his subject matter from his own memories of growing up in the suburbs of East Dallas, focusing on the specific, mundane activities that define a young life. His paintings often feature kids digging tunnels, building forts out of Christmas trees, or exploring the edges of vacant lots and landfills. These are not just snapshots of the past; they are attempts to reconstruct the feeling of being small in a vast, suburban landscape. By focusing on these intimate moments—like the shared secret of a group of boys huddled around a train set—he turns everyday play into something much larger and more mysterious.

The colors he uses help transform these memories into a personal mythology. Rather than sticking to the muted tones of reality, he employs odd, almost Day-Glo hues and strange color combinations. This choice, paired with a strong contrast between light and shadow, creates a dream-like atmosphere that feels both familiar and surreal. His compositions are dynamic, often using light to accentuate the tension or the quiet magic found in a backyard or a construction site. The goal is to spark the imagination, inviting the viewer to see the world through the heightened, intense lens of a child's perspective.

Major Career Milestones and Exhibitions

After beginning his painting practice in 1974, Smith quickly moved from the periphery of the art world into its center. His first solo exhibitions took place in 1978 and 1979, held at Eastfield and Mountain View Community Colleges and the University of Texas at Arlington. These early shows helped establish his presence in the Texas art scene, leading to a gallery showcase at the DW Gallery in Dallas in 1980. That same year, he was selected for a Triennial show at the New Orleans Museum of Art, returning to his roots in the South.

The most significant recognition of his career arrived in 1984. He was selected as one of fewer than thirty artists to represent the United States at the Venice Biennale, participating in the Paradise Lost/Paradise Regained exhibition. This selection placed his personal, suburban-focused imagery on a global stage, marking a major transition from a self-taught painter to an artist of international standing.

Notable Works and Collections

The physical presence of Smith's work often challenges the traditional boundaries of a flat canvas. His 1985 piece, Giants in Centerville, functions as a construction painting, incorporating a three-dimensional element and a Plexiglass window. Through this window, a tiny suburban scene is revealed, built with miniature elements that range from hand-made parts to mass-produced items used by model train enthusiasts. This specific work is held in the collection of the Tyler Museum of Art.

Other significant pieces reflect his long-term engagement with specific themes and periods of his life. Between 1980 and 1987, he worked on In, On, and Above Three Worlds. His 1989 oil on canvas, Night Hike, remains a notable example of his ability to render light and shadow. These works demonstrate how he translates the quiet, often overlooked moments of suburban life into something much larger and more significant.

The Dallas Museum of Art holds Fire and the Ice, an oil on canvas created in 1984. This large-scale work is part of the museum's General Acquisitions Fund. His ability to capture the tension and excitement of childhood rituals is preserved in these institutional collections, ensuring that his specific way of seeing the world remains accessible to those who study his output.