Biography

Brian Argent Smith was born in 1937 in Tiptree, Essex, and was educated locally. In 1953 he enrolled at Colchester School of Art, where he gained a National Diploma in Design in 1957. There he studied under the Czech sculptor Franta Belsky (1921-2000) whose work is both traditional (Portrait of Winston Churchill) and abstract. He also studied under Nigel Henderson (1917-1985), who is better known for his experimental photographic collages, and Carel Weight (1908-1997), whose landscapes and portraits are essentially melancholic in mood. After National Service in the Royal Air Force, he earned his living as a photographer while developing his career as an artist. For many years he had his own gallery in Dedham. He also lectured on cruise liners. He lives in Abberton where he still paints. His work has been purchased by collectors worldwide. Brian Argent Smith joined Colchester Art Society in 1979.

Statement

Brian likes to paint the seasonal changes of the East Anglian landscapes. He works in a variety of media (oils, pastels and watercolours) but is best known for his pastel paintings. Brian associates himself with John Constable by quoting him saying: "Whatever may be thought of my art, it is my own; and I would rather possess a freehold, though but a cottage, than live in a palace belonging to another."

Selected Exhibitions

1987 The Minories, Colchester, Brian Argent Smith, Michael Smee, David Wood: Paintings, exhibition sponsored by Colchester Art Society 

Century Galleries, Henley-on-Thames

The Digby Gallery, Colchester 

The Gallery, Picturecraft, Holt, Norfolk

Hayletts Gallery, Maldon, Essex

The Mall Galleries, London

Medici Galleries, London

www.argent-art.co.uk