I've been interested in art from a very early age.

My junior high school art teacher was the one who first recognized my talent, and allowed me to attend his advanced art class. I loved it from day one and was a very eager student. But soon I was whisked away to England for my last year of high school, leaving my dear art teacher behind. The art room at the new school was an immediate disappointment and I was never challenged artistically.

From England I went to Truman University formally known as Northeast Missouri State University. After earning my B.F.A., I became an art teacher, moved to Newfoundland, Canada, and landed a job at a junior high school. For the next 25 years, I strived to keep my art up to date while teaching full time.

Through those years of teaching I explored many different media including sand blasting glass, clay, printmaking, watercolor, pen & ink, gouache, and sculpture. I also became involved with St. Michael's Printshop , Eastern Edge Gallery , RCA Gallery (Resource Centre for the Arts) and VANL-CARFAC Visual Artists of Newfoundland and Labrador, four successful artist-run organizations. I learned a great deal about my passion, and soon came to realize that I wanted to be a serious artist.

I am now in retirement and am discovering new techniques and abilities that I was not able to realize while I was working. My work has been published in the VANL Newsletter, and I've been involved with one group show and had a solo exhibition "A Breath of Summer" at the Spurrell Gallery in November of 2006. I am currenly represented by Spurrell Gallery in St. John's, Newfoundland and State of the Arts in Corner Brook.

The one thing that has inspired me through out my life is the place where I was born, Newfoundland. As a child I was always in wonder and amazement with the ocean, sea life, landscape and weather. I have always felt safe here. No matter where I traveled my heart and soul was here.

This place is unique. It is a place where ancient travelers came to scoop fish out of the sea at L'Anse Aux Meadows , and Red Bay . There have been early native people at Port au Choix to later settlers at Ferryland who used this land in order to survive or to prosper. All of these factors tie into my great respect for our landscape. It is rough, unpredictable, harsh, beautiful, solitary and ancient. I want to paint it all.

Web Site: http://mpsmyth.com

Phone: 709-579-8433
E-mail: vango52@nl.rodgers.com

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