Raised in a railway family with close ties to coal and iron mining, Smith witnessed America's heavy industries at work. Southern railway lines were well traveled when he attended a military college in the south. Working with oil on linen, his paintings are detailed, yet conveying the drama of light and motion. He has won many awards and has exhibited across the U.S. His paintings have covered and appeared in magazines, and one was the dust jacket for the book "One Man's Locomotives". He resides in the western suburbs of Chicago.