Gallery Artists

David Smith RSW

David Smith RSW is an award-winning Scottish contemporary landscape artist, widely recognised for his expressive plein air paintings inspired by the coastlines and landscapes of Scotland.

Born in 1957, he lives and works just outside Glasgow, where his deep connection to the natural environment continues to shape both the subject matter and emotional resonance of his work.  A passionate outdoorsman, David Smith’s lifelong love of hillwalking, mountaineering and sailing has taken him across the globe. While his travels have broadened his visual language, the enduring palette and spirit of his paintings are rooted firmly in Scotland - particularly its seaboard, islands and ever-changing weather systems. Working directly from the landscape, he responds instinctively to light, atmosphere and place, capturing moments of immediacy and movement.

Although predominantly self-taught, David Smith has pursued extensive studies at a number of respected institutions, including The Glasgow School of Art, Glasgow Print Studio, Glasgow College of Building and Printing, and La Trobe University in Melbourne, Australia. This broad educational background has informed a confident and assured practice that balances technical skill with expressive freedom.

In 2011, David Smith was elected a Member of the Royal Scottish Society of Painters in Watercolour (RSW). He has exhibited regularly at major annual exhibitions throughout Scotland, including those of the Royal Glasgow Institute of the Fine Arts (RGI), the Royal Scottish Academy (RSA), the RSW, and the Paisley Art Institute (PAI). In 2016, he became an Elected Member of Council for the Scottish Artists’ Benevolent Association.

David Smith RSW’s work is held in numerous private, corporate and public collections in the UK and internationally. Notable collections include the House of Lords, the BBC Collection, the Swiss Consulate in Edinburgh, the Law Society of Scotland, and Glasgow Caledonian University.