Samuel David Smith, American Southwest Painter

When I was a kid, I had a cousin named Cézanne who would babysit me and my brothers. She was named after the French Impressionist, Paul Cézanne. She has two brothers who are also named after historical artists. They are Michelangelo (or Michael), and Rembrandt (nicknamed Rem). Their father was Sam Smith who was married to my maternal great aunt, Harriet Holley Hening. I have only scattered memories about my aunt, uncle, and cousins but I was reminded of them when my dad told me that Sam had been the head of the art department at the University of New Mexico. I was intrigued and wanted to learn more about him.  
 
I learned that my uncle Sam was an accomplished painter, draftsperson, printmaker, and was a professor of fine art. In fact, he was revered as one of the most accomplished Albuquerque painters during the 20th century. What is truly inspiring is that Sam dropped out of school at age 13. He never received a high school diploma, nor a college degree, yet he rose to the level of college professor at an acclaimed university. He was not the head of the art department, but the accomplishment is remarkable, nevertheless.  
 
Sam Smith was born in Thorndale, Texas in 1918. In 1925, when he was 7 years old, his family moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico. After dropping out of high school, he began to apprentice himself to artists in the area. He studied with artists Randall Davey, Jack Levine, Ben Turner, and Carl Von Hassler. It is rumored that he spent some time with Nicolai Fechin, but I cannot confirm that.  
 
He was good friends with Wilson Hurley, who praised his talent and wrote,  
“Sam bloomed early. He was extremely prolific right at the end of the war...Sam had done a bunch of paintings of China, and they were gorgeous... Everybody was excited with the work he was doing. He was friendly, telling me what he was trying to do and why. I was like a little brother."  
~ Wilson Hurley 
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In 1941 Sam enlisted in the US Army. While in bootcamp, he volunteered to paint a patriotic mural of Texas over the camp service club entrance. His talents were noticed and earned him orders to serve as an Army Combat Artist. He served our nation by sketching and painting combat scenes in the China-Myanmar Indian Theater and in West Africa. I would love to see those sketches and the paintings of China mentioned in Hurley’s quote. They are located at the Pentagon but are not available to view online.  
After the war, Sam returned to New Mexico and married my aunt, and in 1950 he went to work at the College of Fine Arts at UNM to begin a teaching career. He taught watercolor and oil painting and retired in 1986. While searching for information, I discovered a children’s book that Sam had illustrated. It is entitled, “The Cowboy’s Christmas Tree,” by Effie Paige Eddy. I have a copy of the book and if I recall, it is signed by the artist and was a gift to me and my brothers.  
I am excited about learning more about my uncle and to share this story with you. It feels poignant to learn about him while I prepare for a new path studying at the College of Fine Arts where he taught. I am inspired by the opportunity to study there and in the coming year, I plan to reach out to my cousins. I’d like to reconnect, and perhaps they have copies or even the original combat sketches from WWII!   
 
Have a Happy New Year Everyone! 
Notes:  
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sam_Smith_(painter)
https://www.adobegallery.com/artist/Samuel_Smith_1918_1999178733157 

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