Member Spotlight Josh Smith
Occupation
Assistant Superintendent, California GC of
San Francisco and Artist Age 34
Member Club NCGA Intro Golf Experience Saint Mary’s College Family
Wife, Sarah Smith Website
www.joshsmithart.com Painting Start
I saw a painting in the Phoenix airport that was oil and it struck me. It wasn’t even a landscape but it had this really rich texture so I decided to pick up a begin- ner set of oil paints and see what happened. •••
Art Influences Life My artistic side changes how I handle being a superintendent. I think if anything it brings my own different element to being a superintendent. •••
California Club Cal Club is a really neat golf course. We’re pretty proud of the pedigree and history here so we want to bring that forth and make golfers feel like they are stepping back in time with the way we maintain the course. •••
Place of Inspiration I paint in an old caddy shack, which was a club- makers room and is now our interim maintenance
office. It’s all original, hardwood flooring and it’s really a neat place with great views. •••
Art Gallery I’ve painted three originals for members and they’ve organized to move one in and one out of the men’s bar so there’s a rotation. I think I’m going to orga- nize a little bit more of a gallery down there with their permission. •••
Flawed Beauty I like to look for imperfec- tion which sometimes is more beautiful than perfec- tion. It’s what sets things apart. Mother Nature is all about irregularity and not smooth lines. There is a saying among superinten- dents—if you want some- thing to look natural either have your smartest guy on the crew do it or your least experienced guy. Everybody in between will try to pretty it up too much. •••
Exposure I’ve had art work at San Francisco Golf Club and the Pebble Beach Gallery, Bandon Dunes and Bally- neal. There’s a scattering of courses that draw attention when people see my paint- ings and they’ll get a hold of me. Otherwise commissions come from word of mouth or through
golfclubatlas.com. •••
Style My style is pretty realistic.
I want the viewer to finish the painting for me. I don’t want it to appear so realistic that it’s like a photograph. I want it to have more feeling, everyone is going to see it a little bit differently and there are elements left open to the viewer. •••
Process
About 50% of the paintings go smoothly. The other ones you’re always struggling with one or two things. A lot of people ask what do you have to do next on this painting? I won’t know. It’s
not like A-Z and you’re done, you’re never really sure when you’re done. That might be one of the biggest challenges, to know when you are finished. •••
Career Advice Tom Doak (golf architect) was the first person to give me encouragement that my work would be market- able for sale. I sent him an e-mail asking career advice six years ago and attached two paintings. He suggested he may like to buy one and that they looked great.
FALL 2010 / NCGA.ORG / 59
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