I was born in Natchez, MS and grew up on a farm in Concordia Parish, LA. I have a degree in Agronomy from Northeast Louisiana University (now it is the University of Louisiana at Monroe) and had a career as a Soil Scientist for the Southern Research Station, U. S. Forest Service for over 32 years. The camera was introduced to me as a tool to document research studies which began my journey into the world of photography.
For many years, I photographed landscapes using a Mamiya medium format camera usually loaded with Konica 720 Infrared film. I printed these images in my darkroom on Kodak and Forte' 16" x 20" papers. In 2004, I came to a crossroads, digital photography was having such a huge impact on the photography market that the Konica film and Kodak papers were no longer produced followed later by Forte'. I had been resisting the move into digital for the medium format had served me well but medium format, as I used it, was over. That same year, I received the Louisiana Division of the Arts Visual Arts Fellowship which allowed me to transition into digital.
The last few years, I have explored the process of using several images to make a single print, giving the freedom to compose scenes from my imagination fueled by personal emotions. Whether the print is made from one image or several, I simply present my vision of the world.
My images have shown in more than 130 art venues (94 have been juried exhibitions).
For many years, I photographed landscapes using a Mamiya medium format camera usually loaded with Konica 720 Infrared film. I printed these images in my darkroom on Kodak and Forte' 16" x 20" papers. In 2004, I came to a crossroads, digital photography was having such a huge impact on the photography market that the Konica film and Kodak papers were no longer produced followed later by Forte'. I had been resisting the move into digital for the medium format had served me well but medium format, as I used it, was over. That same year, I received the Louisiana Division of the Arts Visual Arts Fellowship which allowed me to transition into digital.
The last few years, I have explored the process of using several images to make a single print, giving the freedom to compose scenes from my imagination fueled by personal emotions. Whether the print is made from one image or several, I simply present my vision of the world.
My images have shown in more than 130 art venues (94 have been juried exhibitions).
Abbrviated Resume'
Awards:
4/12 3rd Place Award, 44th Annual National Visual Arts Exhibition, Visual Arts Society of Texas, Denton, TX
4/12 Merit Award, 46th Tom Peyton Memorial Arts Festival, FUMC, Alexandria, LA
3/12 Honorable Mention, 25th International Exhibition on Animals in Art, LSU, Baton Rouge, LA
2/12 Purchase Award, Lagrange National XXVII, Lagrange College, Lagrange, GA
2/12 Merit Award, Lagrange National XXVII, Lagrange College, Lagrange, GA
5/11 Award of Recognition, 3rd Regional Art Juried Exhibition, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX
4/11 Merit Award, 45th Tom Peyton Memorial Arts Festival, FUMC, Alexandria, LA
4/10 Merit Award, 44th Tom Peyton Memorial Arts Festival, FUMC, Alexandria, LA
3/10 1st Place Award fo Photography, Art Show at the Dog Show, American Kennel Club Show, Wichita, KS
8/09 Patron Award, 2009 Northern National Art Competition, Nicolet College, Rhinelander, WI
4/09 Merit Award, 43rd Tom Peyton Memorial Arts Festival, FUMC, Alexandria, LA
7/08 Merit Award, 43rd Annual Juried Artist Exhibition, St.Tammany Art Association, Covington, LA
5/08 Curator's Choice Award, Southern Open 2008, Acadiana Center for the Arts, Lafayette, LA
4/08 Merit Award, 42nd Tom Peyton Memorial ArtsFestival, FUMC, Alexandria, LA
11/07 1st Place Award, Masters of Miniature, River Oaks Square Art Center, Alexandria, LA
3/07 Purchase Award, Twin City Arts Foundation, Masur Museum of Art, Monroe, LA
3/07 Honorable Mention, 44th Annual Juried Competition, Masur Museum of Art, Monroe, LA
3/07 Merit Award, 41st Tom Peyton Memorial Arts Festival, FUMC, Alexandria, LA
3/06 Honorable Mention, 43rd Annual Juried Competition, Masur Museum of Art, Monroe, LA
3/06 Merit Award, 40th Tom Peyton Memorial Arts Festival, FUMC, Alexandria, LA
8/03 Honorable Mention, Louisiana Artists 2003: An All Media Show, LSU, Baton Rouge, LA
12/02 Purchase Award, Claiborne Building Collection, Louisiana Division of the Arts, Baton Rouge, LA
2/99 Purchase Award, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL
2/93 2nd Place Award, Art Show at the Dog Show, AKC Show, Wichita, KS
3/89 2nd Place Award, Animals in Art, LSU, Baton Rouge, LA
2/97 Juror's Choice Award, Annual National Works on Paper, University of Texas, Tyler, TX
11/87 3rd Place, U. S. Forest Service Southern Region Photo Contest, Atlanta, GA
8/87 Honorable Mention, Landscape Photography Exhibition, Alexandria Museum of Art, Alexandria, LA
Fellowships
Louisiana Division of the Arts, 2004 Visual Arts Fellowship ($5,000.00)
Grants
Louisiana Division of the Arts Mini-Grant ($500.00)
Solo Exhibitions
1/07 Michael Elliott-Smith: Recent Photographs, Northwestern State University
1/05 Retrospective of Time: Michael Elliott-Smith, Alexandria Museum of Art
7/04 Christus St. Frances Cabrini Hospital
Permanent Collections
Lagrange College
University of South Florida
Masur Museum of Art
State of Louisiana, Claiborne Building Collection (2 prints)
Juried Exhibitions (since 2005)
6/12 Westmorland Art Nationals, Westmoreland Community College, Youngwood, PA
5/12 29th Juried Open Exhibition, Visual Arts Alliance, Houston, TX
5/12 49th Annual Juried Competition, Masur Museum of Art, Monroe, LA
4/12 44th Annual National Visual Arts Exhibition, Visual Arts Society of Texas, Denton, TX
4/12 46th Annual Tom Peyton Memorial Arts Festival, FUMC, Alexandria, LA
4/12 4th Annual Regional Juried Art Exhibition, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX
4/12 Southworks Juried Art Exhibition 2012, Oconee Cultural Arts Foundation, Watkinsville, GA
4/12 14th National Juried Art Exhibition, Baker Arts Center, Liberal, KS
3/12 25th International Exhibition on Animals in Art, LSU School of Veterinary Medicine, Baton Rouge, LA
2/12 LaGrange National XXVII, LaGrange College, LaGrange, GA
2/12 Arts in Harmony 2012 International Juried Art Show, Elk River Area Arts Alliance, Elk River, MN
1/12 27th Annual International Exhibition, University of Texas at Tyler, Tyler TX
10/11 15th Annual Rio Brazos Art Exhibition, Tarleton State University, Granbury, TX
10/11 2011 20" x 20" x 20" National Compact Competition, LSU Union Art Gallery, LSU, Baton Rouge, LA
8 /11 September Competition, Alexandria Museum of Art, Alexandria, LA
7/11 24th Annual Northern National Art Competition, Nicolet College, Rhinelander, WI
7/11 46th National Juried Artists Exhibition, St. Tammany Art Association, Covington, LA
5/11 Southern Open 2011, Acadiana Center for the Arts, Lafayette, LA
5/11 3rd Regional Art Juried Exhibition, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX
4/11 Texas National 2011, Stephen F. Austin State University, Nacogdoches, TX
4/11 43rd Annual Visual Arts Exhibition, Visual Arts Society of Texas, Denton , TX
4/11 13th National Juried Art Exhibition, Baker Arts Center, Liberal, KS
4/11 45th Annual Tom Peyton Memorial Arts Festival, FUMC, Alexandria, LA
3/11 25th Annual Art Show at the Dog Show, American Kennel Club Show, Wichita, KS
3/11 24th International Exhibition on Animals in Art, LSU Veterinary School, Baton Rouge, LA
11/10 2nd Annual National Photography & Digital Imagery Competition, Palm Beach State College, FL
7/10 2010 Art Melt, Louisiana State Museum, Baton Rouge, LA
7/10 2010 Northern National Art Competition, Nicolet College, Rhinelander, WI
5/10 47th Annual Juried Competition, Masur Museum of Art, Monroe, LA
4/10 44th Annual Tom Peyton Memorial Arts Festival, FUMC, Alexandria, LA
4/10 2nd Regional Art Juried Exhibition, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX
3/10 24th Annual Art Show at the Dog Show, Wichita, KS
2/10 LaGrange National XXVI Exhibition, LaGrange College, LaGrange, GA
9/09 22nd September Competition, Alexandria Museum of Art, Alexandria, LA
7/09 2009 Northern National Art Competition, Nicolet College, Rhinelander, WI
7/09 Westmorland Arts and Heritage Festival, Youngwood, PA
6/09 Westmorland Art Nationals, Westmoreland Community College, Youngwood, PA
5/09 Southern Open2009, Acadiana Center for the Arts, Lafayette, LA
4/09 43rd Annual Tom Peyton Memorial Arts Festival, FUMC, Alexandria, LA
3/09 22nd McNeese National Works on Paper, McNeese State University, Lake Charles, LA
9/08 21st September Competition, Alexandria Museum of Art, Alexandria, LA
8/08 Tallahassee International, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL
7/08 2010 Northern National Art Competition, Nicolet College, Rhinelander, WI
7/08 43rd Annual Juried Artist Exhibition, St. Tammany Art Association, Covington, LA
7/08 Art Melt 2008, Shaw Center for the Arts, Baton Rouge, LA
5/08 Southern Open2008, Acadiana Center for the Arts, Lafayette, LA
4/08 42nd Annual Tom Peyton Memorial Arts Festival, FUMC, Alexandria, LA
4/08 40th Annual visual Arts Exhibition, Visual Arts Society of Texas, Denton, TX
3/08 2008 20"x20"x20": A Compact Competition, LSU Union Art Gallery, LSU, Baton Rouge, LA
2/08 12"x12" Exhibition of Small Works, Middle Tennessee State University, Murfreesboro, TN
12/07 50th Annual Delta Exhibition, Arkansas Art Center, Little Rock, AR
11/07 Masters of Miniature, River Oaks Square Art Center, Alexandria, LA
6/07 Westmoreland Art Nationals, Westmoreland Community College, Youngwood, PA
3/07 44th Annual Juried Competition, Masur Museum of Art, Monroe, LA
4/07 41st Annual Tom Peyton Memorial Arts Festival, FUMC, Alexandria, LA
3/06 43rd Annual Juried Competition, Masur Museum of Art, Monroe, LA
3/06 40th Annual Tom Peyton Memorial Arts Festival, FUMC, Alexandria, LA
6/06 Westmoreland Art Nationals, Westmoreland Community College, Youngwood, PA
10/05 7th Annual Renaissance Regional Art Exhibition, the Renaissance Center, Dickson, TN
10/05 2005 Saltline Biennial, Mobile Museum of Art, Mobile, AL
4/05 Texas National 2005, Stephen F. Austin State University, Nacogdoches, TX
3/05 Landscapes of Desire, Center for Fine Art Photography, Ft. Collins, CO
