
kim smith
Kim Smith
DAY JOB: Model Maker | CG Paint and Look Development
PASSION PROJECTS: Painting | Drawing | Mixed Media | Photography | Sculpture
Kim Smith was born in New York City to two artists and grew up in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, immersed in an international community of creatives. Her father’s work in cultural diplomacy and her mother’s French-rooted painting fostered a lifelong dedication to experimentation across mediums—from drawing and painting to sculpture and abstract structures exploring layering, concealment, and scale.
After earning a BFA in Studio Arts from Syracuse University and continuing studies at Arizona State, USC, UCLA, and the College of Marin, Smith built a 35-year career in visual effects. She spent 20 years at Industrial Light & Magic and later at Tippett Studio, contributing to both practical and digital photo-real imagery. Her work encompassed model making, digital painting, and texture painting on films including Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, Star Trek: Generations, The Hunt for Red October, The Rocketeer, Jumanji, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest, and Pacific Rim.
In 2021, she stepped away from the film industry to focus fully on her own art, drawing inspiration from her family, her joyful youth, and the many experiences that continue to shape her vision.