We’re thrilled to welcome Angel Beth Smith to the Directory of Illustration! Angel is a Native American artist based in Connecticut with over 30 years of experience. Specializing in textile design, Angel creates beautifully intricate artwork for academic institutions, churches and private organizations. Angel pays extreme attention to detail when producing her work, using pastels, pencil, colored pencil, conté crayon, and watercolor as her preferred mediums. Her work has been showcased at various galleries and museums throughout southern New England.
Angel has spoken publicly about the importance of art in Native American culture. Her own artwork has fostered an appreciation of her Native American heritage, and in a news special on Boston’s WCVB5, Angel spoke about her series of portraits of Native American women from across the country. Here’s what she had to say about her Native Women portrait series:
“Native American women have long held influential and cultural roles in their communities as matriarchal leaders, story keepers, and nurturers of next generations. Awakened with a desire to visually represent the beauty and strength of Native women through my own tribal culture, my intent is to create portrait drawings of one woman from each tribe in the United States.”
Angel was also recently featured in the PBS documentary, The Wickford Walk. In the documentary, Angel and other prominent Rhode Island artists explain their creative processes in designing the artwork displayed throughout Wickford Village. In her interview, Angel elaborates on her artwork for the Bush Hill Marker—a detailed painting of an ear of corn created using her time-intensive cross-hatching method (a technique used in many of her stunning paintings). View the full documentary here.
Working full-time as Communication Specialist/Graphic Designer doesn’t deter Angel from pursuing her passion as a professional artist. Angel recently displayed new artwork at the Abbe Museum Indian Market in Bar Harbor, Maine, which celebrates Native artists and their use of art for “education, cultural resilience, and decolonization.” Additionally, she is continuing her Native American Women series and is in the process of curating and participating in an art exhibit called “Unstoppable,” which raises awareness of and funds research for autoimmune diseases.
Angel also recently completed artwork for Schemitzun, an annual PowWow hosted by the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation of Connecticut. Check out one of the beautiful pieces she created:
To view more of Angel Smith’s incredible work, check out her portfolio and visit her website.
