Winter 2005

Tom Smith: Volunteers and Watercolors

By Lori Rotenberk
Photo of Tom Smith at Illinois Beach State Park by Pat Wadecki

As stewardship coordinator for the Lake County Forest Preserves over the past two decades, Tom Smith has organized more than 2,700 volunteers each year to restore some of the most diverse natural areas in Illinois. But the 52-year-old naturalist, who resides in Winthrop Harbor, has yet another way of helping others learn about bogs, dunes, prairies, and savannas: his watercolor paintings.

A graduate of Chicago's American Academy of Art, Smith can often be found painting outdoors throughout Lake County, frequenting such places as Volo Bog and Illinois Beach State Park. He carries his portable easel and paints in a backpack.

Smith's love of nature began rather innocently while he worked for the former Chicago Academy of Sciences painting dioramas in the late 1970s. "I can specifically remember an open field in Lake County that was filled with lady's slipper orchids," he recalls. "Being exposed to things like that and having access to the academy's library opened up an entire new world."

High Foredunes in Winter, Illinois Beach State Park, by Tom Smith

"For me, painting and nature are an escape," Smith says. "While I'm painting, I don't think of anything else. When I'm out in the field, I feel connected with the world around me a bit better. I can recognize the plants and their value. I can look up in the sky without binoculars and know what bird is flying overhead and it gives me a good feeling. I feel privileged to be out there and to be able to see the beauty of things."

Trillium grandiflorum at Ryerson Woods near Deerfield, Illinois, by Tom Smith

As another way to give back to nature what he borrows for his paintings, Smith frequently donates portions of the sale of his work to conservation causes. "It's a way," Smith says, "I can use my art to make a bit of a difference."

Smith's paintings will be on display from now until February 26 at the Heller Nature Center, 2821 Ridge Road, Highland Park, Illinois. Call (847) 433-6901.