Gary Ernest Smith (American, 1942) Santa Fe Hollyhocks Oil on canvas 20 × 30 in.Frame: 26 × 36 in. Signed lower right: “Gary Ernest Smith”
In Santa Fe Hollyhocks, Gary Ernest Smith turns from figure to garden, capturing a dense wall of hollyhocks in full bloom before an adobe home. Layered strokes of color create a rhythmic interplay of light, shadow, and movement, transforming the familiar New Mexico garden into a vibrant meditation on place and season.
Known for his evocative portrayals of rural life and the American West, Smith brings the same sensitivity and structural clarity to this floral subject. The painting reflects his enduring interest in environments shaped by human presence, where labor, habitation, and landscape quietly coexist.
