Gordon Smith is one of the most prominent and prolific artists working in Canada today. For more than sixty years he has painted the Canadian landscape and has consistently explored the mediums of drawing, painting and print making in inventive and expressive ways. He is also a founding patron of the Artists for Kids Trust.

Gordon Appelbe Smith was born June 18, 1919 in Hove, Sussex, England. His formal education began at Harrow County School in England and was completed in Winnipeg following a move his family made in 1933. His early artistic influences came from his father who frequently painted water colour landscapes as a hobby. In 1937, he enrolled in the Winnipeg School of Art, studied with Lemoine Fitzgerald and had his first introduction to teaching by presenting Saturday morning art classes for children. Smith moved to Vancouver in 1940, married Marion Fleming and proceeded to join the Canadian Army. Upon returning from service overseas in 1945, he continued his art education at the Vancouver School of Art and graduated in 1946. That year he joined the staff of the Vancouver School of Art and taught Graphics and Design for ten years. It was during this tenure at the Vancouver School of Art that Smith reinforced his career choice as both an artist and a teacher. In 1956, he joined the Faculty of Education at the University of British Columbia and taught Art until his retirement in 1982. Since that time, Smith has worked full time as an artist in his home studio. Gordon and Marion Smith have lived in West Vancouver, BC since 1953.

Throughout his career, Smith has maintained an active presence in the Canadian and International art scene. He has exhibited regularly and has work included in countless public and private collections in Canada, the United States and Europe including the National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa, the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Smithsonian Institute in Washington D.C., and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, England. His work can also be found in the Vancouver Art Gallery and in the Artists for Kids Gallery in North Vancouver.

Smith has received numerous awards and honours throughout his lengthy career, including First Prize at the Biennial of Canadian Art in 1955, a Senior Fellowship from the Canada Council in 1960, an Honourary Doctorate from Simon Fraser University in 1973, the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada's Allied Arts Medal in 1980, Professor Emeritus from the University of British Columbia in 1983 and an Honourary Doctorate from the Emily Carr College of Art and Design in 1995. He was awarded the Order of Canada for his significant contribution to Canadian culture in 1996, and in 2002, received the Order of British Columbia. In 2005 Smith was awarded Artists for Kids highest honour, the Order of the Owl for his unparalleled contribution to the program and in 2009 received the Governor General's Award for Visual Art for his amazing lifetime contribution to art in Canada.

The last thirty years of Smith's career as an artist have been his most prolific and has seen him produce some of his finest prints and paintings. As a master of colour and paint he explores the British Columbian landscape in a fresh, expressive and aggressive style that is unparalleled by other artists. Never satisfied, he continues to explore and express new visions and exciting vistas daily. Gordon Smith is one of the most highly respected artists of our time.