Drawn to art’s ability to inspire thought and provoke emotions, Michael Smith has been working with beautiful local woods of Hawaiʻi honing his craft for many years.
Michael Smith spent three years at the University of Cincinnati, School of Design just before moving to Hawai’i in 1981. He spent ten years traveling throughout Asia, buying and selling antiquities. But, the allure that art had always held for him crept back into his life when he attended several local wood shows in Hilo . The idea of taking a segment of a tree and spinning it to form, hollowing, and finishing it: that was something he had to do for himself. He followed the woodworking scene for the new few years and saw a transition in wood-turning design. Basic bowl shapes were starting to break the boundaries of tradition, hinting at what an art form the craft could become.
“From the beginning, it was my quest to find what form or style that would be recognized as mine; what would separate my work from the others. It took a while to come full circle and realize that my greatest asset is my versatility. Whether it be burning, artwork, carving, relief work, or just pure form, my desire is that as each piece evolves, it will be unique, artistic, and beautifully executed.”
Micahel has received recognition in all the juried wood shows that he has entered, including two first-place awards in the statewide Hawai‘i Forest Industries Show.