Collection: Mary O. Smith

Mary O. Smith earned her Bachelor of Design in 1982 from Louisiana State University. In her professional years working as an interior designer for an architectural firm, she developed a quick architectural rendering style to convey her ideas to clients which led to her love of plein air painting; working in oils, watercolor and gouache.  

Mary O. is a member of Plein Air Painters of the Southeast, and a Signature Member of the Southern Watercolor Society, Georgia Watercolor Society and Tallahassee Watercolor Society. She is a founding and current board member of Pines & Palms and has been invited to be faculty and ambassador at many prestigious plein air events, including Plein Air South, High Cotton Paint Out, and Forgotten Coast Plein Air.  She enjoys sharing her love of painting and the inspiration of southern subjects: boats, oaks with moss, and historical landmarks. 

Mary O.’s most proud of winning the Artist Choice award in 2021, the Louisiana Beauty Award in 2023, and “Best in Show” at the Shadows on the Teche Plein Air event. 

Her motto, that she tries to reinforce, is “a little planning is planning to succeed.”