Biography
David G. Smith Biography
September, 2025
I was born in Evanston Hospital in 1942 when WWII was raging and the US seemed to be losing. My Dad was in the Marine Corps and on his way to the Guadalcanal archipelago on a troop ship. My pregnant Mom was having trouble finding a place to live. Both were children of the Great Depression and spent a life time concerned about money. My Dad didn’t see me for two years. You inherit your parent’s worries.
Growing up I loved the radio. I can remember listening to Lowell Thomas reporting from all over a world I could only imagine. In 1949 something very unexpected happened specifically in our household. My Dad, who was working at Under Writers Laboratory brought, home a television set they had been testing. Most of the programing was test patterns and hair tonic infomercials. But, soon thereafter B western movies like Hop along Cassidy were broadcast to the delight of neighborhood kids who joined us in the basement on Saturday mornings to watch cowboy serials. This franchise was short lived because within less than two years everyone had a television set. The timing of television’s availability maximized its influence on me.
I struggled with school. I can vividly remember staring out the window at Evanston Township High School wondering when winter would end and I wouldn’t be stuck in school. It seemed like I was trapped in this cold and dreary world for which there would be no escape. Poor academic performance eliminated college. I was less than a year out of high school with no options. My Dad, who was now working at International Harvester, had gotten to know the chief cook on The Harvester iron ore boat that plied the Great Lakes picking up and delivering iron ore to the IH steel mill in Calumet, Illinois. They needed a dish washer. I jumped at it. I embraced the experience of seeing all the Great Lake and its cities over the next six months. It prepared me for the next adventure which was soon to follow.
After graduation from high school in 1960 I was required to register for the draft which was still very active in those days.
There was a good chance you would be drafted for a minimum of two years in the service and likely end up in the Army (this happened to Elvis Presley). If you joined, you could select the branch. From an adventure standpoint the Marine Corps looked good. So, ten days off the iron ore boat I found myself disembarking from a prop DC9 airplane at Lindberg Field with the USMC boot camp close by. One of the most significant events of my life happened in the doorway of the plane when a warm San Diego autumn breeze met me. I knew at that moment I would not stray far from the San Diego area. To be able to live your life in the gentle San Diego weather is a lifetime gift. It’s the best place to live in the world and that’s saying something.
I wanted adventure and I got it at Camp Pendleton, Okinawa, Mt. Fuji in Japan and 29 Palms. The Cuban Missile crisis occurred while we were training in Japan (1962) We thought we would be embarking to Cuba.
There are no “ex-Marines” only former Marines. Even though it happened 65 years ago hardly a day goes by that I don’t think about the almost three years I spent in the Marine Corps. Probably the most thrilling day of my life was when I qualified as an expert marksman with an M1 rifle (and second place in the battalion). A modest marksmanship trophy sits behind my desk and I’m still proud of it and how important it was at the time. The day I was discharged (October 1964) at 29 Palms there was a Light Anti-Aircraft Battery preparing to leave for Danang Viet Nam. This would be the first organized unit to be sent to Viet Nam. The war did not end until April 30, 1975. 2.7 million served in Viet Nam. I missed it.
I appreciate this luck.
From 1964 to 1969 I attended College of the Desert and San Diego State University which led to a short career in broadcasting with two local radio stations (KGB-FM and KSDO News Radio). In 1974 I was hired as the head cook on a San Diego based tuna seiner and during my first and only trip did not see land for over 70 days. I quickly learned that land based work was a better path.
The next four years I spent in the public relations and marketing business with a diverse mix of clients
That included KFMB Television, Paramount Pictures, Ringling Brothers Barnum and Bailey Circus, The National Renderers Association, various local concerts like Smokey Robinson and the Miracles., the San Diego Attorney’s Association and the National Publishers Association (that publicized new books).
Public Relations was fun and interesting but not very lucrative and my career path took me into the commercial real estate and business hotel development for the next thirty years. Throughout this period I dabbled and doodled and sometimes painted something interesting. I also met and married my wife Karla which is unquestionably the most significant decision of your life. If it leads to children, which it did for us (now a young woman and man) it takes on even greater importance. Essentially, it is a partnership and the most important one you will ever have. It can not be overstated that for an artist to be able to create and do it over and over, the support of the partner is necessary. It was a fortunate moment in my life to have met my wife and her continuing support of my art is a key reason I’m able to create an art collection and keep adding to it.
Early into our partnership we made the game plan to include our young children in our travels and traveling was always our priority. Seeing the world through the eyes of a child is a special perspective. Each trip was unique and special in its own way because our children were an important part of the overall experience. The most ambitious was four months voyaging around the world on the Semester at Sea ship. Of the numerous highlights perhaps the most memorable was the four separate safaris Karla organized in four African countries.
COVID afforded me uninterrupted time to embark upon something new. which in my case was painting on a larger scale I received excellent guidance and instruction from Sharon Demery (use big brushes) and Jeff Yeomans (aggressively mix colors) both artists and instructors with the Athenaeum School of Arts in La Jolla, CA. . Also, John Lidot, owner of Giant Canvas, encouraged me to size up my work into the 40” range which represents the core of my collection today. New paintings represent overcoming the inertia of not painting. It’s an ongoing effort.
During this period my work was exhibited by The Lux Art Institute in Encinitas, CA and by The San Diego Art Advisory Gallery in Mission Hills as the Featured Immerging Artist.
What will be the next adventure?