* SIAN SMITH, PENSIVE oil on canvas, signed and titled verso 60cm x 40cm Note: Sian Smith is an award winning young Scottish artist based in Glasgow. In March she was awarded a place at The New York Academy of Art.. The New York Academy of Art was founded in 1982 by artists, scholars and patrons of the arts, including Andy Warhol, to foster a resurgence in the training of figurative and representational art. The Academy has since developed into a non-profit cultural institution housing the nation's first graduate school of figurative art, a continuing education program, the region's most in-depth figurative art library, an extensive exhibition and lecture series, and iconic New York City events such as Take Home a Nude and Tribeca Ball. Born in Glasgow, Scotland, Sian Smith recently (2014) graduated from Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design with a BA (Hons) in Fine Art. Smith's practice centres around the main theme of intimacy, her aim is to create artwork in a variety of media which reflect this. Predominantly a painter, Smith has always had a strong interest in body language and film both of which are key influences in her artwork. It is her hope to portray the vulnerability, fragility and beauty of the figure through paint. Sian has already exhibited her work on fourteen occasions at venues including Galley Heinzel (Aberdeen), The Morningside Gallery (Edinburgh), Artfusion (Glasgow), Green Gallery (Stirling), Cooper Gallery (Dundee) and La Galerie 1940 (Edinburgh). A remarkable track record given how difficult it is for young artists to gain gallery exposure in Scotland. Sian was a selected participant in Sky Arts Portrait Artist of the Year (2014) and her second Solo Exhibition took place at Green Gallery (Stirling) in May having achieved a complete sell-out at the same venue in March 2015. Sian Smith has potential that has already been recognised by the private art gallery sector in Scotland and by the prestigious academic institution that is The New York Academy of Arts.