Michael James Smith

About the Artist

Michael James Smith grew up in Baltimore, Maryland. In his youth he had the privilege of being instructed by teachers from the Maryland Institute of Art and later was affiliated with Syracuse University in Syracuse, New York. After moving to Miami, Florida he became a working artist with drawings and paintings in various media being shown in galleries and acquired by private collectors.

Upon moving to Asheville, North Carolina in 1995, Michael focused his talents on figurative drawing. Over the course of the next few years, Michael continued his figure studies, and had the good fortune to meet and become friends with Ben Long. This eventually led to a position as a founding member of the fine arts league of Asheville. His extensive knowledge of anatomy is reflected in his love of teaching is detailed and in-depth course of the Asheville Fine Arts League.