“I respect Dan’s work,” says renowned Western and figurative painter Howard Terpning, who owns an original Smith interpretation of a polar bear. “I think that he carries his wildlife beyond conventional stereotypes. To me the things that I see are very personal and intimate portraits.” One enduring example is “In Your Face”, a full-framed portrait of a Cape Buffalo that Smith encountered during one of his many forays to half a dozen nations in sub-equatorial Africa.
Smith’s interpretations have been described by art historians as “photo-realism,” meant to suggest a literal translation of detail, color, and pose. Indeed, the technological advancement of photography during the 20th century has had undeniable influence. Artists, after all, are a reflection of their time and few artists, if they are astute, ignore tools that enable them to glean more information.