Kay Smith

Albina Kathryn Smith (née Metzger; February 27, 1923 – February 11, 2025) was an American visual artist, who specialized in using watercolors and depicting landscapes.

Early life Smith was born in Vandalia, Illinois, on February 27, 1923. She grew up in Vandalia and was the fourth of six children.

Career During World War II, Smith moved to Chicago and attended classes at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. She visited historical sites to depict them accurately and raise awareness about these sites importance to the national heritage.

For 21 years, she taught a watercolor class at the Old Town Triangle Art Center in Old Town, Chicago. She illustrated over 30 books for Thomas Jones, an editor at J.G. Ferguson Publishing Co.

Later life and death At the age of 73, Smith was struck by Guillain–Barré syndrome which left her almost paralyzed. After rehabilitation, her daughter encouraged her to keep painting. She was still taking commissions after turning 90. She died in Chicago on February 11, 2025, at the age of 101.

Awards and recognition In 1994, Smith was named the Artist Laureate of Illinois by The Lincoln Academy of Illinois. On the occasion of her 100th birthday, 27 February 2023 was proclaimed Kay Smith Day in Chicago by the Mayor's office.

Major works

Smith's major works include a series of Abraham Lincoln-related sites, Red Tails escorting the B17s on display at the Pritzker Military Museum & Library, Some of her Hemingway paintings were exhibited as part of the Hemingway Centennial Celebration in Oak Park in 1999.

Her works have hung in the Harry S. Truman Library and Museum, the Illinois Institute of Technology, the Yorktown Victory Center (Yorktown, VA) and the Three Arts Club in Chicago.