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Follow the Artist Follow internationally renowned Naturalist, Sculptor, Painter, & Photographer, Geoffrey C. Smith.

06/02/2026

How a wildlife sculpture comes to life. 🦅

Take a look behind the scenes in the studio, where each piece first takes shape in clay. Before the bronze and the foundry, hours are spent studying form, refining movement, and building fine surface details.

Paddle boarding at dusk, I watched this happen right in front of me.The osprey had just caught a fish when a bald eagle ...
05/16/2026

Paddle boarding at dusk, I watched this happen right in front of me.

The osprey had just caught a fish when a bald eagle came in and stole it almost instantly. Moments like that stay with you. Here’s a behind-the-scenes look at a new painting inspired by that encounter. I love the constant push and pull of detail, building layers of paint bit by bit.

A long-awaited project: Monumental Doves. Inspired by my lifesized Lovie and Dovie sculptures, I finally had the chance ...
05/13/2026

A long-awaited project: Monumental Doves.

Inspired by my lifesized Lovie and Dovie sculptures, I finally had the chance to bring them to a much larger scale. Stay tuned for updates!

Check out Lovie and Dovie at https://www.geoffreycsmith.com/lovie-dovie

04/11/2026

The foundry is where a sculpture goes through its final stage.

I was out in Colorado last week at Art Castings of Colorado, watching pieces move through the last steps, where everything is cast and made permanent.

There’s something about seeing a piece that started in clay transform into bronze. It’s where everything you’ve worked on comes together. There’s a lot of trust in this part of the work. You hand the piece off, and it passes through skilled hands before returning to you.

It takes time to get a piece to this point. I’m grateful for the team at Art Castings, who help bring it from clay into bronze.

This is where I’m happiest.In the studio, ideas starting to take shape. Clay in hand and paint moving across the canvas'...
04/08/2026

This is where I’m happiest.

In the studio, ideas starting to take shape. Clay in hand and paint moving across the canvas's surface. It doesn’t always come easy, but I wouldn’t want it any other way.

I'm grateful to have David Surks step in and capture a few of these moments.

Some things are meant to stay long after you’re gone.Somewhere between ’89 and ’93, I was standing beside this life-size...
04/05/2026

Some things are meant to stay long after you’re gone.

Somewhere between ’89 and ’93, I was standing beside this life-size pronghorn, presenting it to Governor Stan Stephens of Montana while he was serving. That day took place at the Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks - Region 7 headquarters, where the sculpture lives to this day.

I spent a part of my life in Montana, and there’s something meaningful about leaving a piece behind at a place like that. To know it’s cared for and preserved, much like the animals themselves.

I’m grateful for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the work they do to protect these animals so they’re still out there for generations to come.

03/28/2026

A small look inside the studio.

Clay taking shape, sketches guiding the hand and sparking new ideas, paintings in progress. This is where the work begins, long before any piece finds its final form.

Flashback to 2003.Looking at this photo brings me right back to that time in my life. Standing in the foundry beside a c...
03/13/2026

Flashback to 2003.

Looking at this photo brings me right back to that time in my life. Standing in the foundry beside a couple of sculptures that had started months earlier as quiet observations in the wild.

Back then I was still building my path as an artist, learning something new with every piece and every experience along the way.

What strikes me now is how much has changed… and how much hasn’t.

I’m still out there watching wildlife, still inspired by those moments in nature, and still chasing the challenge of turning them into something lasting.

Some things evolve over the years. Inspiration rarley does.

02/28/2026

Behind the scenes of Silent Thought. This is where Ricky’s story began to take form in clay.

Imagine being born into captivity.Imagine having your teeth removed so your strength feels less threatening. Imagine bei...
02/27/2026

Imagine being born into captivity.

Imagine having your teeth removed so your strength feels less threatening. Imagine being castrated so you’re easier to control. Ricky’s early years were shaped by human needs. It's believed that he spent time in the entertainment industry before eventually living alone, prisoner in a garage.

When I first saw him at Save the Chimps, Inc. he wasn’t performing. He was sitting quietly, thoughtful, surrounded by other chimpanzees. He had found community again. What stayed with me wasn’t what had been done to him. It was what remained.

The awareness in his posture. The inward focus. The way he carried himself. When I sculpted Silent Thought, I wasn’t trying to retell his past. I was honoring that inner life. The part of him that was never taken.

Bronze can easily become dramatic, but I didn’t want drama. I wanted stillness. I wanted dignity. A moment of being caught in reflection.

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4545 SE Dixie Highway
Saint Petersburg, FL
34997

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