Wildlife Artist Geoffrey Smith
As I walked into the gallery and studio of wildlife artist Geoffrey Smith in Stuart Florida, it felt like I was stepping into a scene from the movie “Night at the Museum”. The one where Larry Daley (Ben Stiller) takes a job as a security guard and all the animals come to life. The wildlife here looks that real, and these wild critters were are all around me. It felt as if all the animals were watching me as I browsed the gallery. Hundreds of beady eyes and they were all looking my way. But as I looked closer, the animals I saw showed layers of brush strokes, well-calculated smears, and the fingerprints of the world famous award-winning sculptor, photographer, and wildlife artist Geoffrey C. Smith.
Wildlife Artist Geoffrey Smith’s Studio – Where the Magic Happens
When I visited the gallery on Dixie Highway, I was lucky enough to catch Geoffrey working in his studio. He was finishing up a custom Florida panther that will be part of a larger panther family display on Jupiter Island. He is doing last-minute touch-ups as he moves around the Puma in his matching clay-colored shorts. As an artist, he totally immerses himself in his projects. This cougar, he explains will sit 14 feet high on a Banyan tree branch. In fact, he spent a day at the office high in the tree getting exact measurements and proportions as he prepared the perch for this cat.
Geoffrey grew up in California and began carving wooden duck decoys at the age of 15. He graduated from Montana State and currently resides here in the coastal town of Stuart. While there is plenty of wildlife in Montana to keep him busy, the brutal winters were the reason to pack up and move south to Florida. Florida’s Treasure Coast is one of the most ecologically, diverse places on earth.
He says that projects like these take a lot of time. He has been working on these panthers for well over a year and it will be yet another year before they are all completely done. The original clay sculpture of this panther will be cast here in this studio.
Field Guide to the Public Art of Wildlife Artist Geoffrey Smith
If you live in or visit the Treasure Coast of Florida they are pretty hard to miss. You will spot Geoffrey Smith sculptures at hospitals, schools, and tourist attractions. His sculptures of birds, fish, and wild animals dot the area and remind us that we are not alone on this earth. Start your tour at the Historic Downtown Stuart Gallery and pick up a Field Guide Map. Then travel the area to see all these masterpieces. Think of it as a scavenger hunt. The kids will love it. Some can be a challenge to see because of security issues like the high school, and gated communities. Some you have to pay admission to see such as the Florida Oceanographic Society, but there are plenty that you can see for free and it is worth the hunt around town to view these masterpieces.
The Stuart Sailfish Monument
After I studied the map and planned my route, I started my journey. But where would be my first stop? There were so many. I decided to follow the guide in order. My first stop would be the most famous in the area. His best-known work is that of the Stuart Sailfish in Downtown Stuart. The 19-foot bronze sculpture in the middle of “Sailfish Circle” is a symbol of Stuart, Florida. Why a sailfish? Offshore of Stuart and the Treasure Coast is known worldwide as the “Sailfish Capital of the World.” The monument is located at the round-about circle of SW Joan Jefferson Way.
Birds on Colorado Avenue
Next stop, I parked the car to walk on Colorado Street for the next collection. The Florida Waterbirds Collection consists of six sculptures that grace the entrance into Stuart’s historic downtown area. The “Three Heron Monument depicts three life-size great blue herons in a tree. Smith personally donated this final casting of the Three Herons to the City of Stuart in October of 2016. It is on the roundabout on Colorado Avenue.
As you walk throughout the area you can see six life-size individual sculptures of birds native to Florida including American Heritage, Pair of Osprey, Skimming the Wave III, The Roseate Spoonbill, Three Heron Monument, and The Dancing Sandhill Crane. These fine feathered friends are located in the Creek Art District which holds a First Friday evening Art Walk once a month from 5 until 9 pm. Come out and explore the businesses on Colorado Avenue and the surrounding streets to experience the best in visual, performing, literary and culinary arts.
The Shell Boys
After viewing the Birds on Colorado Street, I headed down Osceola Street because the next two monuments were in the hospital area. The Shell Boys fountain is a fountain that depicts two young boys at play with giant clamshells. This sculpture was created in the image of Smith’s two sons and sits at the entrance to the Robert and Carol Weissman Cancer Center on the Cleveland Clinic campus in downtown Stuart. You can find this at 501 SE Osceola Street in Stuart.
Trio of Leaping Bottlenose Dolphins
The next fountain was close by so I left the car parked and walked to see the Trio of Bottlenose Dolphins. This fountain features a 7-foot tall sculpture of bottlenose dolphins and is located at the Cleveland Clinic’s main hospital on Osceola Street. The fountain is dedicated to the doctors, nurses, and medical associates for their commitment to all levels of patient care.
9/11 Memorial
Before you head out to Hutchinson Island make a stop at the City of Stuart’s Police & Fire Safety Complex and take a look at the 9/11 Memorial. It is located in the front lobby. This was gifted in honor of the city of Stuart’s Centennial Celebration. The complex can be found at 830 SE Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
The Sea Life Monument
The next stop took me to Hutchinson Island because I wanted to see the monument gifted to the Florida Oceanographic Society. The Sea Life Monument depicts a myriad of animals native to the Treasure Coast of Florida. The Oceanographic Society recently opened the new Ocean Eco-Center which also holds several more Geoffrey Smith pieces including a beautiful large reef exhibit in the main entrance.
Blue Thunder
The next stop was a little hard to find, but I eventually stumbled upon it. This 16 foot tall Blue Thunder monument depicting a marlin and tuna is installed at Harborage Yacht Club located in Stuart. It is best to go in across the old Roosevelt Bridge off Flagler Avenue. The address is 915 NW Flagler Ave. These are private residences but it is not gated so just be courteous and discreet and keep an eye out for where you park.
Life’s Journey
“Life’s Journey” is a 16’ tall sculpture of mother and calf dolphins leaping. Geoffrey Smith crafts his art for the viewer to appreciate nature. Smith says, “the only thing more important to me than Art is Nature”. I discovered this one located at the roundabout outside of Indian Riverside Park and the Children’s Museum in Jensen Beach. Smith recalls the several experiences he has had seeing dolphins up close in person. “Those are moments I will never forget!” This beautiful fountain is located at 1707 NE Indian River Dr., Jensen Beach, FL 34957
The Environment
The environment is suffering worldwide. Geoffrey says his life’s purpose is to connect people to nature through art. For World Environment Day, Smith collected trash on the beach and turned the garbage into a work of art. This piece is on display in the Downtown Gallery.
Wildlife Artist Geoffrey Smith Galleries
The galleries in Stuart showcase the work of Geoffrey C. Smith. A photographer, painter, sculptor, and naturalist who has been inspired for more than forty years to create award-winning works of art that depict the vast wildlife diversity of Florida wildlife with a sense of action and deep emotion. As you browse the studios, you will see detailed sculptures of birds, fish, and wildlife all with elegant detail.
Smith’s bronze sculptures have been selected as gifts for the Pope and are in The Vatican. President George Bush, Vice-President Dan Quayle, state officials, and foreign dignitaries own them and Smith has pieces in fine art galleries throughout the United States and regularly exhibits at fine art shows.
Wildlife Artist Geoffrey Smith Paintings
While the sculptures take more time Geoffrey says he gets instant gratification from his paintings. His style is loose impressionistic and semi-abstract and shows the world as it inspires his visions. Smith prefers this style to let people know that it is a painting and that he is not trying to imitate a photograph (another of his passions). He showed me photos he took of swans while on his vacation and the way the lighting blended. He says his paintings really don’t have a lot of detail to them. It allows the viewer’s brain to be able to fill it in.
Natural Habitats for Wildlife
Every day we are losing our wildlife natural habitats to development and construction as more and more people move to Florida, but Geoffrey is busy creating habitats instead of destroying them. He recently cleared his property next to the studio of the invasive Brazillian Pepper tree which has invaded many habitats in Florida. While it is a beautiful tree, it also represents a significant threat to Florida’s native plant and wildlife populations by forming dense forests that exclude all other plant life. He replaced the trees with over 600 native plants. There is already increased fish in the area, and many species of water birds are returning. The problem of runoff still exists, but he hopes to have the water that the clearing has revealed dredged to create an area for manatees. He wants it to be a public area so folks can come to see these amazing sea cows.
Geoffrey says wildlife can be beautiful but we need to take care of our natural habitat. He creates art to motivate his audience to get out on the water or into the woods and make a personal connection with the beauty of our environment.
Visit the gallery in Historic Downtown Stuart or the Artist Gallery & Studio at 4545 SE Dixie Highway in Stuart.
You can see more of Geoffrey’s work and follow his latest projects and adventures on his social media and website at: https://www.geoffreycsmith.com https://www.facebook.com/GeoffreySmithGalleries/ https://www.instagram.com/geoffreysmithgalleries/
His website states: “From a hammerhead shark in your dining room to a falcon soaring at your local school or even a life-size Florida Panther prowling your garden, Geoffrey can make your ideas come to life”. Hmmm! It’s starting to make sense now. Maybe, just maybe they do.
