
About the Artist
Jasmin Smith is a Washington DC-based artist who has lived in the area for over 35 years. Previously she has lived in Canada, United Kingdom and Bangladesh. She has travelled extensively in Europe, Asia and Australia. Her art has been inspired by many international artists including the Canadian Group of Seven, Wassily Kandinsky, David Hockney and Henri Rousseau. She has also been influenced by US artists including the visionary artist Alex Grey.
Jasmin maintains a full-time studio practice in Potomac, Maryland. She has experimented with many art styles and her work has transitioned to different expressions of abstract styles, including stylized mandalas, impressions of cave art, and semi-abstract works depicting animals.
In most of her works, Jasmin uses a restricted color palette with intense colors inspired by her South Asian background. Her process is time-consuming - consisting of the application of many layers of liquid acrylic - wet onto dry. She uses this process of layering, flatness of form and color to create a sense of depth and subtle chromatic variation within the work.
For 27 years, Jasmin worked as a technical writer, multi-media developer, and web content manager at Marriott International in Bethesda, Maryland. She left her career to pursue her life-long dream of becoming a full-time artist. She currently lives in Potomac, Maryland and frequently spends time in Scottsdale, Arizona and Ottawa, Canada.
Jasmin is represented by the Waverly Street Gallery in Bethesda, Maryland.
Art Education
Jasmin has a BA in English Literature and Visual Arts from the University of Ottawa, Canada. She has also attended multiple classes in contemporary art in Maryland, Washington DC, New York and Ottawa.
From 2016 - 2019 Jasmin studied abstract art at the Corcoran School of Art and Design at George Washington University. Since 2020 she has participated in an online critique and contemporary art study group led by artist Mira Hecht. She is part of the E Street Artists' group.
Review By Mark Jenkins from the Washington Post
"A Watergate Gallery group show, “Unfolding Dreams,” offers a more enchanted idea of the natural world than Thorp or Arrietta’s. With 32 artists represented, the reveries are diverse, but four forest paintings dovetail neatly. Jasmin Smith’s Rousseau-like scene centers on bright fronds set off by a dark backdrop."
Unfolding Dreams - Through Feb. 10, 2024 at Watergate Gallery, 2552 Virginia Ave. NW.
Favorite Quotes
"Of all the arts, abstract painting is the most difficult. It demands that you know how to draw well, that you have a heightened sensitivity for composition and for colors, and that you be a true poet. This last is essential." Kandinsky
"He has found his style, when he cannot do otherwise" Paul Klee
"When you stop doing something, it doesn't mean you are rejecting the previous work. That's the mistake; it's not rejecting it, it's saying 'I have exploited it enough now and I wish to take a look at another corner." David Hockney
Favorite Links
https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/art/2024/01/19/art-gallery-shows-dc-area/
What Happens When Tigers Meet Humans
What Would Be The Impact If The Tiger Disappeared?
Climate Change Through a Personal Lens, Women's National Democratic Club
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0BNIXVKggHk&feature=youtu.be