My parents' names were Florian and Mabel Smith. My mother's maiden name was Dersam. They were of German heritage and were part of a family community with my grandparents and uncles and relatives. I was an only child. — Paul Smith Copy Share Image
He [my father] didn't have a basement workshop as such, but I know that he did build things, construct things, repair things. My mother, likewise, was sewing and doing activities that often take place in a household. — Paul Smith Copy Share Image
I became a bit of a teacher's pet, and it became known in the school by both faculty and students that I really excelled… — Paul Smith Copy Share Image
I've always been a keen cyclist, I'm very close to the world of cycling. Not just cycling really - also walking, adventures, being a… — Paul Smith Copy Share Image
I learned from books that I picked up. That was something that just came out of nowhere but continued to be an attraction. So… — Paul Smith Copy Share Image
At the end of the elementary program, I then had to move onto high school. Simultaneously, my parents moved to Attica to a suburban… — Paul Smith Copy Share Image
You can find inspiration in everything. If you can't, then you're not looking properly. — Paul Smith Copy Share Image
I think I was really naïve. I had no context to think about what I wanted to do. Each step was a next stage… — Paul Smith Copy Share Image
One association with the arts that I vividly remember was a magazine called Normal Instructor, a teachers' magazine, that Miss George would hold up… — Paul Smith Copy Share Image
The class situation [at Art Institute on Elmwood Avenue] was such that one would be very much on their own to paint or draw.… — Paul Smith Copy Share Image
Fortunately, I had cousins who lived in Buffalo and would often go to visit them, which I loved to do because I liked Buffalo… — Paul Smith Copy Share Image
I was painting furniture, learning to stencil, and explore all kinds of traditional techniques of decoration. I learned from books that I picked up. — Paul Smith Copy Share Image
At one point I had dreams of being in the school band, but I didn't play an instrument that qualified me, and that was… — Paul Smith Copy Share Image
![“He [my father] didn't have a basement workshop as such, but I know that he did build things, construct things, repair things. My mother, likewise, was sewing and doing activities that often take place in a household.” quote by Paul Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/e56/paul-smith-10839_activity_he-my-father-didn-t-have-a-basement-work_1753498.jpg)
![“One association with the arts that I vividly remember was a magazine called Normal Instructor, a teachers' magazine, that Miss George would hold up with illustrations of great artworks like [Vincent] van Gogh and Rembrandt [van Rijn].” quote by Paul Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/39c/paul-smith-10839_art_one-association-with-the-arts-that-i-viv_139353.jpg)
![“The class situation [at Art Institute on Elmwood Avenue] was such that one would be very much on their own to paint or draw. The faculty was roving to give opinions or help out technically, which all the faculty did very well.” quote by Paul Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/26c/paul-smith-10839_art_the-class-situation-at-art-institute-on_244355.jpg)
