Judith Gebhard Smith

Judith Gebhard Smith holds a B.A. in Art History (University of Pittsburgh) and a B.Sc.(as a graduate degree – University of Toronto) in Art as Applied to Medicine. She spent eight years as the medical illustrator for McGill University, Faculty of Medicine in Montreal, Quebec, Canada before moving to Olympia, WA in 1972. In juried competition in pastel, she has been accepted into more than 50 national and international exhibits and has received 32 awards. She holds signature memberships in three national art societies as well as "distinguished pastellist" status in the Northwest Pastel Society. Recently she has obtained juried membership in the Society of Animal Artists, New York.

"Energy and mystery are the most important components of my painting style. Whether painting ravens, crows, and other creatures in the studio, or engaged in plein air compositions, I am concerned with conveying a mood, and a sense of movement beneath the surface…an obvious or a latent energy. I seek to call attention to the mysterious components of our connection to the environment. Often I use bird images as a metaphor for human behavior.