DOUGLAS ION SMART ARE RE , 1879-1970
Born in Hammersmith on 15 June 1876 , the son of a painter Charles Ion Smart, he started painting young, and was trained under Sir Frank Short RA certainly by 16 he was competent. For most of his working life he remained in London, and near the Thames he loved to paint & draw. In the 1920's he moved to Camden Town later moving to Clifton Road over looking the waters of Spithead & the Isle of White where he died on 29th August 1970. During his life time he was a successful etcher and engraver, with examples of his work in many major collections with exhibitions at both the Durer & Colnaghi galleries. He was less well known for his watercolours. Although he spent his summers abroad , on painting trips in Spain, France & Holland nearly every year to 1940. He made occasional trips around England, to Yarmouth and in 1917 he was in Grantham, Lincolnshire doing camouflage work. Douglas Smart spent much of his life painting and drawing at the Waters Edge, and recorded the dramatic changes to our coastline ,river banks and the ancient wharves and traditional craft of the Thames that have but all disappeared . So it is appropriate that many of his drawings are held in the National Maritime Museum. He exhibited at major galleries in London & Liverpool with over 70 works at the Royal Academy. He was elected ARE in 1905 and RE in 1922.