I was born in Notodden, a small industrial town in Telemark, Norway in 1950. My early interest in art did not get much support, so I became a sailor in the Norwegian Merchant Marine at sixteen as a galley boy(kitchen help.) I went to chef school two years later and at twenty-four moved to the US. I worked as a chef cooking for Stanford University students nearly 35 years, until I retired in 2013. I live in Portola Valley, CA.
I am a self taught artist who has been collecting other artists' work for many years. My close friend, mentor and supporter, the late Paula Z Kirkeby liked to say: "You scratch a collector, you'll find an artist."
Besides showing my work at Paula's gallery, "Smith Andersen Editions" in Palo Alto, CA, I have exhibited pieces at George Krevsky’s Gallery in San Francisco and the Sanchez Art Center and Oceana Gallery, both in Pacifica, CA. —-My work is in many private collections in California and Europe.
My work includes many mostly white paintings and abstract paintings in acrylic and mixed media, including plexi-glass, as well as wall sculptures in acrylic on wood and canvas.
Solo shows:
Smith Andersen Editions, Palo Alto, CA, December 2014
Sanchez Art Center, Pacifica, CA, March 2017 Curated by Jerry Barrish
