Smither was born and raised in New Plymouth, on the coastline and under the mountain, both of which have been a constant source of imagery in his paintings.
Artist, musician, conservationist – painter, sculptor and printmaker, Michael Smither is as varied in his interests as he is in the images he makes. He is one of New Zealand’s most robust, challenging and colourful artists, whose work is in every major collection.
Smither paints what he sees, always imbuing his vision with a luminous sense of the power of observation.