Born in New Plymouth, Smither attended Elam School of Fine Arts in Auckland from 1959-60 under the tutelage of John Weeks and Robert Ellis. He returned to New Plymouth and became a member of ‘Group 60’, a collective of Taranaki artists founded by Don Driver. Smither has worked in a number of mediums including painting, printmaking, and sculpture and among his subjects are portraits, family scenes, domestic interiors, still lifes, and landscapes of the Taranaki region and coastal views. In a number of his paintings, Smither has experimented with the relationship between sound and colour and has created sound, light, and dance productions with Wellington choreographer Jamie Bull and worked in film with producer Tony Hiles. In 2004, Smither became a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit. He currently resides in Coromandel.
