Category: Barbara Smock

Barbara Hobday Smock is an award-winning artist from the United Kingdom. While art and painting have always been a big part of her life, she pursued a career outside of the art world. Barbara’s artistic journey began as a child. One of nine brothers and sisters, her mother often entertained the children with rolls of butcher paper, crayons, watercolor paints, and salt blocks to carve. During weekends and summer holidays Barbara would go to the local riding school and spend her time grooming and riding the ponies there. Her early obsession with horses grew to a deep love and respect for them. Consequently, horses quickly became her favorite subjects to draw and paint.

Frequent visits to racetracks in Arkansas, Kentucky and Indiana have been consequential in the development of horses in motion in Barbara’s photography and paintings.

Barbara uses a camera to record ideas, downloading photos into her computer for later sketch work. Concentrating on eye appeal and occasionally humor, she gives her subjects a personal twist.

Barbara lives in beautiful Hardy Arkansas, on a small farm with an assortment of livestock and a very tolerant supportive husband. The animals on the farm often become subjects of her paintings. She adds a twist of humor to these subjects, a rooster with wild eyes running straight at you, or a rabbit carrying a purse.

Artists Statement

My love for animals and desire to capture their personality and special uniqueness has given me a sense of purpose. A desire to share my images in an affordable artwork, and to appeal to humans of all ages. My artistic objective is to cause viewers to smile and wonder where they’ve seen that critter before