John D. Smith recently began painting as a full-time profession. Before that, he and his wife owned and operated a bookstore for many years in a rural Vermont town.

"For the past four years, I have studied at Village Arts in Putney, Vermont. This study has included classes and workshops with well-known artists Nancy Guzik, Richard Schmid and tonalist Dennis Sheehan. I am a member of the Putney Painters, a group that paints with Richard Schmid and Nancy Guzik."

Smith, who has lived in various parts of the rural United States , says his paintings are a reflection of these rural places as well as his imagination. The hills and valleys of Vermont , with its tucked-away villages, bring to mind small villages in Europe .

Thus it is not too much of a stretch to say that Smith's works have a subtle Old World look to them.

As one reviewer noted, "Smith's passion for Northern European concerns with light and shadows in his still lifes is consistent with the moods conveyed by the mists and evening shadows of his landscapes."