By Mary Kathryn Carpenter/The Natchez Democrat

When Will Smith Jr. created his first purple crayon masterpiece on the wall of his mother’s house, the Natchez native knew the mural wouldn’t be his last.

His housekeeper and sister separately scrubbed his work from the walls that day — to hide the evidence, on his behalf, from his mother — but Smith was focused on the future. In fact, throughout his childhood he had a quick answer when an adult asked, “What do you want to do when you grow up?”

“My answer was always ‘an artist,’” Smith said. “I don’t even think (becoming an artist) was a decision I made. It was a truth within me. It keeps me sane. It anchors me.”

Smith’s path to becoming a full-fledged artist has taken him from the 3-year-old drawing on his mother’s walls to the featured artist at a major New Orleans art gallery during the biggest art festival the city hosts.

Smith attended Trinity Episcopal Day School through the ninth grade, when he transferred to McCallie School in Chattanooga, Tenn. He attended Birmingham-Southern College, earning a bachelor’s of fine arts in painting and sculpture.

Smith then continued to travel the states, including Georgia and California, and earned a master’s degree in art therapy until he decided to plant his roots in New Orleans.

“I grew up visiting New Orleans,” Smith said. “Then, I spent my 20s living all over the country, and I kept comparing where I lived to New Orleans.”

Smith believes New Orleans is the perfect place to foster his talent and the city appears in most of his work, along with some allusions to Natchez.

Living in the art district of the Crescent City, Smith creates watercolor masterpieces of architecture around New Orleans as well as Natchez.

The pieces of art, known as plaques, are mounted on a jig-sawed piece of wood and are coated in glossy epoxy.

Smith has done similar pieces of art for the annual Great Mississippi River Balloon Race.

Smith’s passion, however, is photorealistic pieces he paints, using his own photos for inspiration.

“I like to work from my own photographs,” Smith said. “I enjoy the challenge of trying to capture things honestly.”

Smith has been working on a series of paintings of the Louisiana wetlands for more than a year now to be displayed during a special night for the arts in New Orleans.

White Linen Night, hosted during the first week of August every year for the past 20 years, is an art festival that draws approximately 40,000 people to the art district of New Orleans every year.

The festival was started in part by Jean Bragg, owner of Jean Bragg Gallery, as well as other gallery owners in the art district, to draw in buyers during slow summer months and has grown into a huge event, drawing investors and art collectors from all over the world, Smith said.

“It’s the largest art party in the South,” said Jean Bragg Gallery curator Susan Saward. “It’s a wonderful party.”

In years past, Smith hosted what he called the Off White Linen Party, allowing artists who weren’t being featured in a gallery during the festival to hang their art in his house during a party.

“It grew into a huge event,” Smith said. “I had a band, a DJ, it was sponsored by Abita Beer. People would go to White Linen Night and then come over to have a good time.”

But this year, Smith won’t be able to have the party; he’ll be focused on his own artwork of area bayous and swamps featured for the first time in the Jean Bragg Gallery during White Linen Night, Aug. 2.

Saward said it is a great honor to have your work displayed during the festival.

“Because White Linen Night draws such a populous audience, it means that one’s art is widely appreciated and seen,” Saward said. “It’s a terrific selling opportunity and an opportunity to get one’s art out there. It’s an honor, and we are honored to have Will. He is a distinctive and superlative artist whose art not only is good art, but it adds to the cause of wetlands restoration. It is historically significant art.”

Smith is happy to give up his party for the recognition of being displayed in the gallery.

“I am extremely honored,” Smith said. “It’s one of the biggest compliments I’ve ever received as an artist.”

Smith is the son of Marion and Carolyn Vance Smith.