TJ Smith
artist | designer | sensory storyteller | An interdisciplinary creative practice.
TJ Smith is an interdisciplinary creative based in the high desert lands of Grand Junction, Colorado. His practice moves between analog and digital, art and design. Differentiated by mediums not meaning. He's been refining his craft since the days of fingerpainting, ever curious with the interplay of the natural world and us.
TJ approaches every project the same way. Analytical enough to see the pattern beneath, intuitive enough to follow the spark. He strives for purity in his craft, while allowing remnants of the artist's hand to ground each piece back to the organics of process.
His work does not mimic nature, it sits in conversation with it. A playful way to better understand our place among it.
artist cv
EDUCATION
2011 - La Roche - Pittsburgh, PA - BS in Graphics and Communication Design
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2025 - 610 Gallery “Contemporary Echos of Nature” - Ridgway, CO
2024 - The Art Center “Contemporary Portrayals of the Natural World” - Grand Junction, CO
2024 - High Desert Authentiques “Metallics” - Grand Junction, CO
2023 - The Wilder Gallery “Outdoor Inspired Works” - Grand Junction, CO
2022 - The Wilder Gallery “Once Upon A Stream” - Grand Junction, CO
2022 - The Wilder Gallery “A Howl For Peace” - Grand Junction, CO
2021 - Kiln Coffee Bar “Desert Gold” - Grand Junction, CO
2020 - Kiln Coffee Bar “Love In The Time Of Covid” - Grand Junction, CO
2020 - 750 Main “Inaugural 750” - Grand Junction, CO
2020 - High Desert Authentiques “Grit & Glare” - Grand Junction, CO
2019 - Kiln Coffee Bar “The American West” - Grand Junction, CO
GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2025 - Air Force Academy “Our Shared Environment in Times of Challenge and Change” - Colorado Springs, CO
2024 - Fort Lewis College “Our Shared Environment in Times of Challenge and Change” - Durango, CO
2024 - Mesa County Libraries “Our Shared Environment in Times of Challenge and Change” - Grand Junction, CO
2023 - Breck Creates “Our Shared Environment in Times of Challenge and Change” - Breckenridge, CO
2023 - Denver State Capitol “Colorado Art + Science Environment Fellows” - Denver, CO
2021 - The Wilder Gallery “Soft Opening Desert Rock Show” - Grand Junction, CO
2021 - City Hall “Artists in Residence Group Show” - Grand Junction, CO
2020 - The Art Center “Mesa County Libraries Artist In Residence” - Grand Junction, CO
2020 - Confluence Studios “Studio Members Show” - Grand Junction, CO
PUBLIC COLLECTIONS
2026 - Colorado Outdoor Industry Leadership Summit (COILS) “Sky View” - Keystone, CO
2025 - Colorado Creative Industries Summit “Nature Stall” - Grand Junction, CO
2025 - De Beque Town Mural “Welcome to De Beque” - De Beque, CO
2025 - Colorado Mesa University Mural “Welcome Center” - Grand Junction, CO
2024 - Counseling & Education Center “Tranquility Through Nature ” - Grand Junction, CO
2024 - The Kaart Building “Our Desert” - Grand Junction, CO
2023 - The Grand Junction Greenery “Icon of the Valley” - Grand Junction, CO
2022 - Old Mose Mural “King of the Grizzlies” - Cañon City, CO
2022 - Clifton Elementary School Ground Mural “Colorful Clifton” - Clifton, CO
2022 - Alt Coworking Mural “A Better Alternative” - Ridgway, CO
2022 - City Haul “Artist In Residence Group Show” - Grand Junction, CO
2021 - 5th & Main St. Mural “Hum Of The Grand Valley” - Grand Junction, CO
2021 - Lot 702 Panel Murals “Sun Over Us All” & “Music Of Water” - Grand Junction, CO
2021 - Lot 702 Guardrail Mural “Rail Line Flow” - Grand Junction, CO
2021 - 734 Building Mural “Zentech River” - Grand Junction, CO
2021 - Alt Coworking Mural “Power to Community” - Grand Junction, CO
2021 - Alt Coworking Mural “Magic Happens in The Space” - Montrose, CO
2020 - Two Rivers Convention Center “The American West” - Grand Junction, CO
2020 - The Avalon Theater “Sun Focused” - Grand Junction, CO
2020 - Mesa Jewelers Mural ”Grown In The Desert” - Grand Junction, CO
2020 - Alt Coworking Mural “Power to Community” - Telluride, CO
MEOW WOLF SPONSORED ARTIST
One of three sponsored artists for 2025 Colorado Creative Industries Summit - May 2025
AWARDS & FELLOWSHIPS
Colorado Art + Science Environment Fellows Program
Artist expectance into fellowship program - November 2022 - October 2023
ARTISTS IN RESIDENCE
970West Studio Artist-in-Residence – Mesa County Libraries, Grand Junction, CO, 2020
During his residency, TJ held public workshops on printmaking, collage, and bookmaking, while hosting community meet-and-greet events.
PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS ORGANIZATIONS BOARD MEMBER
Colorado Creative Industries – 2025 Summit Planning Committee, October 2024 to May 2025
Creative District, Grand Junction – Board Member, 2020–Present
AIGA Reno/Tahoe – Member, 2011–2016
about
I've been making things since I could hold a crayon. Thirty-eight years of coloring in and outside the lines, to find myself creative at heart. These days that chasing happens through painting, printmaking and installation, big and small, digital and analog, almost always pointed toward the outdoors. Lately the question is where we’re headed, and my own part in getting there. I am the founder of SmithBorn Studio my creative practice. I'm also co-founder of Rural is Rad, started a creative collective called Secret Menu and was formally known as Stray Wild.
Creative at Heart
Let's talk art. Drop me a line and let's connect.
