Kim Smith is an artist in the truest sense of the word. She was born in NYC and grew up in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. Her father was a very successful illustrator. At an early age, Kim was very interested in archeology. She combined her interest in science with a natural affinity for art and creativity. She attended Syracuse University and studied art. Her initial interest was working as a studio artist. Kim was also interested in cartography and the way in which maps developed so differently across different cultures and periods of history. After school she travelled to France and lived with relatives speaking French daily and continuing to explore her creative impulses.
Kim later moved to California where she worked at Sotherby’s as an assistant in the print department. Her French language skills and her artist’s background proved highly useful during her time with the auction house. From there Kim went to work building models for theme park rides. It landed her “in the studio” full time getting paid to do work for commercial projects.
After honing her skills Kim landed at ILM where she worked for decades doing both traditional and digital work. Her film credits include; Indiana Jones & The Last Crusade, The Hunt For Red October, Back to the Future 3, Dreams, Rocketeer, Star Trek 6, Hook, Death Becomes Her, Alive, Forrest Gump, Jumanji, Star Treks: Generations and First Contact, Mars Attacks!, The Mummy, Star Wars Episode 1 and Episode 3, Pirates of the Caribbean, Pacific Rim, Ender’s Game, to name just a few.
Our wide ranging conversation explores Kim’s background, the life of an artist, the pros and cons of analog vs digital, and the creative problem solving required for working in visual effects. Kim is an amazingly talented, thoughtful, gifted artist, and all around super cool human. It was great fun to chat with her and hear her story. I think we definitely broke some new ground for the show in our chat.
