Kimberly Smith

I am a multi- faceted, award winning artist and teacher who owns and runs the “Art and Creativity Center,” a thriving studio and gallery space in Ojai California. I am a painter and a sculptor. My paintings explore the uncomfortable facets of our society that go unspoken, as well as bold and dramatic landscapes. My portrait of President Obama was featured in an interview of Gloria Claudette Grinnell for the library of Congress Civil Rights Project. Each weekend you can find me painting live at music venues, capturing the mood of the contemporary music scene in the Tri-County area. I have been a teaching artist and Docent for the Santa Barbara Museum of Art for 11 years, and am currently finishing writing a book about how to understand the art one sees in museums and galleries.

My moving sculptures use thousands of small fragments of recycled cardboard or steel to create life-sized figures that explore the psychological aspects of war. I live with my life partner, musician, Robert Rachelli, and am a loving mother of four grown children.