Jon Randell Smith was born and raised in Port-aux-Basques (NL). He completed a BA (Hons) at Memorial University and an MA at Queen's. He has lived in various places, including thirteen years in Montreal, and returned to Newfoundland and Labrador in 2019. He now calls St. John's home.
He began studying photography in 2020. That same year, he held his first print sale, raising nearly $1000 for the Single Parent Association of Newfoundland. In May of 2022, he put off his first solo exhibition, "A Light That Is Always Changing".
He has published photographs in an international award-winning cookbook, in arts publications like Riddle Fence and Trash Press, and on news platforms such as CBC Newfoundland and Labrador, The Independent (NL) and VOCM. He regularly does portrait and headshot work for individuals and commercial clients.
In 2020, he was included in the "Pandemic Portraits" series, a visual "Who's Who" of the arts community in Newfoundland and Labrador by artist Michelle MacKinnon.
A translator by trade, he is fluent in German and French. He also writes about food, books and culture on his blog and newsletter, Eating an Island.
by Chris Donnelly
https://chrisdonnelly.artfunnels.com