Statement

I re-examine 17th-century Flemish still life painting through a modern lens. I am drawn to this genre of painting for its inherent beauty and symbolism: flowers representing the life cycle, accoutrements pointing to scarcity, drama, the inevitability of death.

For me, within each painting is contained a rich narrative that broaches questions from the mundane to the existential.

Though the themes are universal, the way I express them on the canvas is personal. I am colourblind, which means I have difficulty matching colours on the palette to their real-life referents. Early in my career, I attempted to paint my compositions using local colours. Over the years, however, I have come to view my colour blindness not as a deficiency, but rather as a difference. As a result, I use a hyperchromatic palette in lieu of a local one, creating bouquets and memento mori that, hopefully, build on the tradition of still life painting.

Biography

Mark Liam Smith is an oil painter based in Toronto, Canada. He developed an interest in art at an early age and spent much of his childhood drawing obsessively. After completing three bachelor’s degrees (in Painting, Physiology and Linguistics) at the University of Saskatchewan, he spent many years working in Linguistics before returning to art.

Smith is colorblind, and his palette reflects that: he uses highly saturated, often non-local colors to render his realistic still lifes. He draws from his linguistics background to inject narrative and symbolism into his paintings.

Since he began painting professionally in 2015, he has shown his work in dozens of exhibitions and art fairs around the world, including SCOPE Basel, PULSE Art Fair in Miami Beach, Affordable Art Fair in NYC, Satellite Art Fair in NYC, Art Seattle, Art Toronto, and Papier Art Fair in Montreal. When he’s not painting, he’s teaching millions of others how to draw and paint on social media.

Smith’s art and art tutorials have been featured by BuzzFeed UK, American Art Collector Magazine, The Jealous Curator, Art People, Create Magazine, Creative Boom, Hi-Fructose, Booooooom, and Bizarre Beyond Belief Magazine, among others.

Curriculum Vitæ

Education

Bachelor of Fine Arts (Painting), University of Saskatchewan
Bachelor of Science (Physiology), University of Saskatchewan
Bachelor of Arts (Linguistics), University of Saskatchewan

Solo Exhibitions

2021 Tulipmania, Galerie Youn, Montreal
2019 In Bloom, Galerie Youn, Montreal
2017 Of Centaurs and Men, Galerie Youn, Montreal
2016 Imagined Narratives, Elaine Fleck Gallery, Toronto

Art Fairs

2022 Affordable Art Fair, Treat Gallery, New York City
2021 Affordable Art Fair, Treat Gallery, New York City
2021 Papier Art Fair, Galerie Youn, Montreal
2020 Papier Art Fair, Galerie Youn, Montreal
2019 Pulse Art Fair, Treat Gallery, Miami Beach
2019 Art Toronto, Galerie Youn, Toronto
2019 Satellite Art Show, Treat Gallery, New York City
2019 Papier Art Fair, Galerie Youn, Montreal
2018 Edition Art Fair, Akin Collective, Toronto
2018 Seattle Art Fair. Galerie Youn, Seattle WA
2018 Papier 18, Galerie Youn, Montreal, QC
2017 Edition Art Fair, Akin Collective, Toronto
2016  SCOPE Basel, Arte Ponte Gallery, Basel, Switzerland

Selected Group Exhibitions

2021 Holiday Show, Treat Gallery, New York City
2020 Flower + Power, Arcadia Contemporary, Los Angeles
2019 Threesome International Group Show, 19 Karen Contemporary, Gold Coast, Australia
2019 Summer Group Show, Galerie Youn, Montreal
2018 6th Anniversary Group Exhibition, Galerie Youn, Montreal
2018 Get Noticed, Red Head Gallery, Toronto
2018 SALON VI, Project Gallery, Toronto
2018 Children of God, Costume House, Toronto
2018 Black & Noir, Galerie Youn, Montreal
2018 6th Anniversary, Galerie Youn, Montreal
2017 Flora, Galerie Youn, Montreal
2017 SALON V, Project Gallery, Toronto
2017 32nd Scarborough Arts Exhibition, Bluffs Gallery, Scarborough
2017 Et Tu, Art Brute?, Andrew Edlin Gallery, New York City
2017 ART x DESIGN, Vaughan City Hall, Vaughan
2017  Director's Choice, 19 Karen Contemporary, Gold Coast, Australia
2017  555 Anniversary Group Exhibition, Galerie Youn, Montreal
2017  New Works, Galerie Youn, Montreal
2016  Holiday Exhibition, Galerie Youn, Montreal
2016  A.I.R.S. 2016, Federation Gallery, Vancouver
2016  It's Art, D-Contemporary, London, UK
2016  Taste Makers II, Treat Gallery, New York City
2016  FRESH! 2016, JanKossen Contemporary, New York City
2016  Fleck Spring Group Show, Elaine Fleck Gallery, Toronto
2015  10-Year Anniversary Show, Elaine Fleck Gallery, Toronto
2015  Salon of Inclusiveness, The Black Cat Gallery, Toronto
2015  SALON III, Project Gallery, Toronto
2015  A.I.R.S. 2015, Federation Gallery, Vancouver
2015  Fleck Fall Group Show, Elaine Fleck Gallery, Toronto
2015  Flora, Hashtag Gallery, Toronto
2015  2nd Year Juried Exhibition, The Black Cat Gallery, Toronto
2015  The Sex Show, Gallery 1313, Toronto

Grants & Awards

2017 Ontario Arts Council Grant, Visual Artist: Emerging
2017 Ontario Arts Council Grant, Exhibition Assistance
2016 International Confederation of Art Critics: Award recipient, London, UK
2015 Federation of Canadian Artists, Emerging Artist Award

Charity Auctions

2021 BMO Art for Kids Help Phone, Online Silent Auction, Montreal
2019 30th Annual Mistletoe Magic, John B. Aird Gallery, Toronto
2019 ArtSIDA 9 Charity Auction, Musée d’Art Contemporain, Montreal
2018 29th Annual Mistletoe Magic, John B. Aird Gallery, Toronto
2018 4th Annual Date for Dignity Gala, Calgary Pregnancy Centre, Calgary        
2018 Artsida 8 Charity Auction, AIDS Community Care, Montreal

Selected Bibliography

Simple Drawing Hacks, BuzzFeed UK Jan. 14, 2022
NFTs, crypto art, going hybrid, TikTok: How the art world is adapting to COVID-19, TimeOut, Oct. 26, 2021
Flower Power, American Art Collector, Dec. 2020
What's happening this winter in Montreal's art scene, Red Lips and Coffee Sips, Jan. 13, 2020
Mark Liam Smith, The Jealous Curator, Nov. 6, 2019
Overly Dedicated Podcast, Episode 31, Feb. 25, 2019
Galerie Youn at Seattle Art Fair 2018, (ISBN 978-0-9948953-5-6), 2018
Nymphs and Satyr: Iterations, The Matador Review, Summer 2018
Interview with Artist Mark Liam Smith (Video), Novella Magazine, October 23, 2017
A Prologue to Novella’s Conversation with Artist Mark Liam Smith, Novella Magazine, October 6, 2017
Of Centaurs and Men at Galerie Youn, Create! Magazine, September 19, 2017
Of Centaurs and Men @ Galerie Youn, Bizarre Beyond Belief Magazine, August 31, 2017
Telling Fairy Tales with Brushes, Atina Dimitrova, Made in Shoreditch Magazine, June 27, 2017
Mark Liam Smith, Create! Magazine, April 18, 2017
Mark Liam Smith - A Day at the Met, Bizarre Beyond Belief Magazine, December 5, 2016
Mark Liam Smith Commands Colour in Paintings, Andy Smith, Hi-Fructose Magazine, August 5, 2017
Artisa Daltónico Sorprende con Sus Colores, Alejandro Stavrinakis, Loqueva Magazine, December 11, 2016
Interview with Mark Liam Smith, Art Reveal Magazine, Issue 21 (ISBN 978-1-36-690052-4), October 2016
Color Paintings by Mark Liam Smith, Tina Meamar, Art People Magazine, August 22, 2017
O Fantástico Artista Que Encontrou No Daltonismo, Maria Elisa Cruz Lima, Fragmentos De Moda, August 19, 2017
Artist Mark Liam Smith Transforms Colour Blindness into Strength, Katy Cowan, Creative Boom, August 16, 2016
Mark Liam Smith - Imagined Narratives, Bizarre Beyond Belief Magazine, August 10, 2016
Artist Spotlight: Mark Liam Smith, Jeff Hamada, Booooooom! Magazine, August 9, 2016
Colour is Light (Video), 30-Second Film Artist, Filmartist Productions, May 18, 2016