About the Artist

ARTIST BIOGRAPHY
     Donna Smyth has been a horse lover and observer since early childhood.  Smyth grew up in Sarasota, Florida where the horse pasture was her daily playground and back of a horse, her respite.  In her 20’s Smyth packed 2 suitcases and moved to Zurich, Switzerland where she attended art classes, lectures at the Jung Institute and practiced as a dental hygienist.  She called herself a working-tourist.  She remained for over 5 years.  
     Smyth is inspired by nature's beauty, she studied at Watts’ Atelier for 6 years and following art school, she continued painting ‘in-studio’  with OPA Master Artist, Jeff Watts.  Smyth is forever grateful to Jeff Watts and the school he built. Smyth is a member of Oil Painters of America and a newly juried associate member of Women Artist’s of the West.

     Donna lives in Temecula, California with her husband, Anthony and many, many pets.   Their son, Tristan, is completing his forth year, surgical residency in Fayetteville, NC.  When not at  the easel, Smyth is an assistant equestrian groom for her daughter Chloe, who is a professional equestrian athlete. 

ARTIST’S STATEMENT        Donna Smyth’s Artists’ Statement 2026

The horse is inseparable from the history and spirit of the American West, and it remains the heart of my work.  Through a balance of rendered passages and areas of abstraction, I seek to capture not only the form of my subjects but also the atmosphere, energy and emotion that surround them.

I am continually inspired by the beauty found in ordinary moments- a fleeting quality of light, an unexpected composition, or the quiet presence of an animal.  These observations become the starting point for paintings that explore both the seen and the felt, inviting the viewer to engage beyond the surface.

While my subjects vary, they are united by my appreciation for the natural world and the enduring character of the West.  My goal is not simply to document what I observe, but to create work that evokes a sense of connection and timelessness.

Through paint, I strive to honor the grace, strength, and spirit that continues to define the west and those who inhabit it.