Clarice Smith’s Big Race

Clarice Smith’s Big Race

“I paint my life.’’ –Clarice Smith

Artist Clarice Smith knew horses as well as anyone in this countryside. She didn’t ride them nor did she train them. She lived among them at Heronwood Farm, the sprawling 500acre estate she and her husband, Robert Smith, purchased in 1983. Noted as the developer of Crystal City, he bred, raced and owned Thoroughbreds. Their farm also included the adjacent 19 plus acre Upperville Horse Show grounds, which she gifted to the show in 2009.

Mrs. Smith earned a bachelors and masters degree in studio art at George Washington University, where she later a was faculty member. Her work fused her memorable eye to the mobility of the horses, shades of colors and the flow of action. Most important of all, she labored tirelessly and thrived in her art studio at Heronwood. Her work is on view at the National Sporting Library & Museum in Middleburg January 11 to March 31. Details: https://nationalsporting.org

Clarice Smith (American, 1933–2021) Dead Heat, 1999 oil on canvas, 58 x 36 inches. On loan from David Bruce Smith, The Grateful American Foundation.

Clarice Smith (American, 1933–2021) Big Race, 2001, oil on canvas, 58 x 36 inches, 36 1⁄2 x 76 1⁄2 inches, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Melvin and Ryna Cohen and the Funger Foundation, Norma Lee and Morton Funger.