About
Janeen Carter Smith is a Bakersfield-based painter whose expressive work explores color, texture, nature, memory, and the emotional language of everyday life.
“Color is not simply descriptive. It is emotional language. Art has been my lifelong way of experiencing the world.”
Art has been a constant in Janeen Carter Smith’s life since childhood, when a blue ribbon at the Kern County Fair first affirmed her creative path. What began as a disciplined pursuit of representational accuracy has, over time, opened into a more intuitive and expressive practice. Today, her work is defined by fluid movement, layered textures, and a bold, vibrant use of color.
For Smith, color is not simply descriptive. It is emotional language. Her paintings respond to what she sees and experiences, translating landscapes, skies, animals, and intimate moments into visual expressions of feeling. Influenced by both observation and memory, her work exists in the space between what is seen and what is felt.
Alongside her impressionistic explorations of nature and daily life, Smith is deeply drawn to subject matter that carries emotional and social weight. At times, her work becomes a response to stories that demand to be felt. Expressing narratives that extend beyond her immediate surroundings and speak to broader human experiences. These pieces reflect her long-held belief that art is not only decorative but also a means of empathy, reflection, and deep understanding.
After more than three decades as an educator in Art, English and Creative Writing, Smith continues to approach her work with both curiosity and intention. Her paintings invite viewers to slow down, to notice, and to engage.
Education
BA
Art/Art History
California State University Bakersfield
1971
MA
Art Education + Education Administration
California Lutheran University
1986
BA
American Literature/Creative Writing
California State University Bakersfield
2019
Shows
Bakersfield Arts Association Center
California Arts Council, juried
BMOA Visual Arts Festival, juried
Rose Festival, Wasco, CA
“Colours”, Shafter CA
Mill Creek Gallery, one woman show, 2023
Bakersfield Chamber of Commerce
BAA several off-site shows
Artist Residency
In 2025, Janeen Carter Smith was accepted into a residency at Dorland Mountain Arts, a creative retreat in Temecula, California, offering artists quiet space, natural surroundings, and focused time to develop their work.
