Albert Smathers Art Exhibit Stretches From Haiti to Maine

A piece from MC art professor Albert Smathers, on display at the Woo Couture Gallery in Jackson.

Scenic landscape paintings crafted by Mississippi College art professor Albert Smathers will take patrons on a meandering journey stretching from Haiti to Boothbay, Maine.

There’s a very convenient way to take the trip – by seeing Smathers’ landscapes at a Jackson exhibit showcasing his works through late November.

The Woo Couture gallery at 4570 Old Canton Road will present the works of the talented Raymond artist from November 17-29.

His Haitian paintings capture the warm sunshine of this poor Caribbean country devastated by an earthquake in January 2010.

 Smathers arrived in Haiti as part of the “But God Ministries” team from the USA assisting the Haitian people following the disaster near Port-au-Prince. The powerful earthquake left 314,000 people dead, 300,000 injured and 1.6 million residents homeless. As part of their stay, the American visitors built a playground with slides and climbing bars that was a big hit in Haiti. The Mississippi College graduate also taught art lessons to local villagers.

 In Maine about two years ago, Smathers painted scenes of Monhegan Island, a popular spot in New England for artists since the 1800s, including Winslow Homer, Rockwell Kent and the Wyeth’s, N.C., Andrew and Jamie.

Admirers of his works can meet Smathers at a two-hour reception at the Woo Couture gallery on November 16. The gallery is located across from the Whole Foods Market. The event Sunday afternoon begins at 2:30 p.m.

Those who come to see the creations of the longtime Mississippi artist are in for a real treat.

“The work is excellent,” says Randy Jolly, director of the Gore Galleries at Mississippi College. “Albert has captured in oils and acrylic the essence of his travels. The show is like looking at a personal travel log. It makes you dream and feel as though you are there and enjoying the vista and secluded spots with him.”

The Gore Galleries on the Clinton campus hosted a 2012 exhibition by Smathers featuring his work from a sketching trip to the Great Northwest.

After receiving his MC degree Smathers began painting scenes of the Lower Mississippi Valley that took him in 1979 to spots ranging from Greenville, Mississippi and Grand Isle, Louisiana.

 The Hinds County resident topped that with a series of paintings based on his travels to California’s Big Sur Country in 1984. Before joining the MC Art Department faculty more than a decade ago, Smathers worked as a professional artist at five galleries in the Southeast.