Well-known Lancaster artist Bob Smith passed away Tuesday evening from complications of a recent illness.
Born on March 5, 1940, in Jersey City NJ, he was the son of the late Robert and Anita Smith.
From 1957-1959, Bob served in the U.S.Army in Anchorage Alaska. He attended film school in NYC during the 1960’s.
Family members include sister Janet, brothers David and Phil, and several nieces and nephews.
While Bob was an artist his whole life, he became an ‘overnight success’ at the age of 65 when he had his first sell-out show at Lancaster’s Central Market Art Company. He is known for his large monochromatic canvases that depict market scenes in Lancaster and France. In June of 2005, he was featured on the cover of Lancaster County Magazine. Fascinated by the idea of repetition and identity, Bob created a body of work called Twenty-Eight which was shown at Gallery dePaul in 2010. Utilizing the same size canvas, the same style clothing, he created an group of 28 life-size subjects…captured in his bold signature style.
A familiar face in downtown Lancaster, and a fixture at Central Market, Bob made friends easily and and always had a smile and a joke. He was a kind and generous friend.
A Life Celebration for Bob will be announced at a later date.