The Eccentric Art of Lewis Smith     1907 - 1998

Lewis Smith began drawing when he was in his 60's. He was living alone, without electricity or telephone, in the woods of Ohio. He would draw at a table by the window from sunup to sundown. His art and writings express his unique worldview - one based on wide reading and understanding, but without the commonly accepted, daily social interactions most of us take for granted.

The words he chose for his writings are often a private shorthand for his way of seeing things. One has to try to "look through his eyes" as one reads to begin to realize the depths of feeling and understanding conveyed.

Most of his work falls into the categories below. Follow the links to see many more examples of each type.

Crayon and ballpoint drawings on brown paper bags	Markers and crayon on white paper
Larger drawings on cardboard	Ballpoint drawings on sketch paper
Diners drawn on cracker boxes Page 1     Page 2	Wonderfully detailed alley scenes
Drawings with animals	Fascinating, wide-ranging writings