Jack Smith began his career modeling clay but quickly moved on to carve stone under the direction of sculptor Jose De Creeft. From 1978 to 1982, he studied sculpture at the Art Students' League of New York. After a year of study at the League, the young sculptor became Mr. De Creeft's apprentice.
Speaking about his sculpture, Jack Smith explains, "The language of my sculpture is an abstraction of nature: like any living thing, it has an anatomy. Critical elements of this anatomy include balance, rythm, and an internal structure under a unifying skin. This is what I try to achieve in my work".
Smith embodies these anatomical elements in his sculpture as elements of nature. Not only do the sculptures encompass nature, but they portray it, interpret it, and finally fuse it with life.
