I choose TSmitty2001 as my artist name as a tribute to my dad who went by Smitty his adult life, like my father before me I am a Smitty ( I hope you get that reference!). The movie 2001: A Space Odyssey is an all time favorite and started me on my love of sci-fi.

I used art as a child to escape an unstable and violent childhood. Through drawing spaceships and superheroes or making art I could escape my world and create worlds that were safe for me to inhabit. At that time in my life making something beautiful was both an act of creation and an act of rebellion.

When low pixel digital cameras came on the market I purchased and practiced. I met someone who was interested in photography and we would feed and practice off of one another and my skills improved as well as the things I liked to shoot and my style. The relationship with him ended, but not my love for photography.

Around 2008 I purchased my first DSLR and started to practice all over again, learning new skills and honing in on subjects and styles that weren’t available to me before. Along with that came digital editing of the images. In the process of time the ability to edit the photos became more accessible and I could finally create the perfect worlds I dreamed of as a child.