For over 30 years, sculptor Shirley Thomson Smith has earned national acclaim for her distinctive female figures. While living in Durango, Colorado, she became fascinated with the Navajo Indians who lived nearby. Through observation, she noted, “They were so silent and so strong.” Graceful forms and simplified lines depict the quiet inner strength of all women although her focus is Native American, African and Mexican women.
         In her 40’s Smith began taking art courses at Oklahoma City University.
As a single mother, she supported her family with a day job while attending classes and working in her studio at night. Through focus and perseverance, she is currently represented by a number of national galleries and is annually exhibited by the Prix de West.
         In 1985, she was accepted into the prestigious National Academy of Western Art which was sponsored by the National Cowboy Hall of Fame Museum. She was only the third woman to be awarded membership. In 2001, Smith was invited to be a part of a small group show at the Gilcrease Museum in Tulsa, Oklahoma. She is a lifetime member of the Oklahoma Sculptor Society and associate member of the National Sculpture Society.