Katy Smith Artist:
Capturing Scenes of Orcutt Slated for Development

One can find Katy Smith plein air painting, painting on location, most Thursday mornings in Orcutt with her easel, a paint brush in one hand and a blended mocha in the other.  

 

For her latest Orcutt painting series you’ll find Smith and her artist friends, Sheila Goodman and Roxanne Sachs, painting at locations along Union Valley Parkway between Highway 135 and Bradley Road including the area of the proposed Richards Ranch development, the new County Fire Station, and the adjoining land owned by Northpoint Condominiums that is currently for sale. 

 

Her cause is not a political one tied to the land use debate, water issues, threats of annexation and lawsuits that this area has been in the news for the last few years.  Her goal is simply to paint the views from her childhood before they’re gone. She said, "I walked my lamb in this field. I have heartstrings for this property. We grew up here. These are the scenes we saw on our way to school." With some emotion Smith adds “I want to capture the beauty so it is preserved, so people who grew up will have something to remember it by." 

 

“People have started sharing their memories of taking the dirt road on Hummel to get to school, searching for horned toads and scorpions in the sandy soil, and their enchantment with the evening light through the eucalyptus groves,” says Smith, adding she will continue to paint this area “until I’ve told all the stories.”  Each painting is available for purchase and collectors will be invited to participate in a show to share their stories with the Orcutt community when the project is complete.

 

Smith began her art career in 2018 after raising four children. She was hired to teach art in the local schools through Children’s Creative Project. With her ‘I can do anything attitude,’ she absorbed knowledge on YouTube as each subject rose in the curriculum; dance, drama, choir and visual arts.  While teaching watercolor Smith fell in love with painting.  She says, “That was when I first called myself an artist.”  By 2020 the Costa Gallery in Los Osos saw her growing body of work and asked to represent her and still does.

 

Smith’s love of painting on-site reflects her love of nature. "I'm outdoorsy," she laughs; she likes hiking, camping, backpacking and kayaking. She met her husband in 7th grade at Orcutt Junior high, dated at Righetti High School and together they went to Allan Hancock College, and transferred to CalPoly San Luis Obispo. During their time at CalPoly, they married. Four kids later, the youngest also loves plein air painting.

 

Smith no longer teaches art but enjoys painting with other artists and visiting with people who stop to talk to her while she paints. "I encourage them to tap into whatever artistic creative thing they have hidden inside. There are so many free resources online to get started and, really, you learn the most from just doing it."

 

See Smith’s work at the Costa Gallery in Los Osos, seasonally at Los Olivos Wine Merchant & Cafe and at Steller’s Cellar where you can purchase original paintings and prints of her iconic Orcutt scenes: the Orcutt water tower, the Old Town Market and Danny George’s truck yard art by Deja Vu Antique Mall.  Her website is katysmithartist.com. You can visit her on instagram at katy_smith_artist and Facebook at Katy Smith.  

Katy Jacobson reporting