Smith comes to California after 18 years in New York City where he was involved in Theater, opera, film and television. He worked on dozens of off-off and off Broadway productions including Pantaloon for the Encompass Theater (for which he received an operatic Obie award) and two seasons with City Opera as associate designer. On Broadway, he was involved with over four dozen shows from The Elephant Man to Aspects Of Love. He has been art director for numerous commercials; a series of children's educational videos; and Hocus Focus, a children's show for Warner Cable. Smith was the production designer for the film In The Spirit for Castle Hill, and on the production teams that created Radio Days and Big. His regional theater work includes eight seasons with the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, five seasons at New Mexico Repertory Theater, four seasons with Portland Center Stage, Alabama Shakespeare Festival, and South Coast Repertory; as well as productions at Indiana Repertory, Milwaukee Repertory, Alliance Theater Co., Children's Theater of Minneapolis, Buffalo Studio Arena, Portland Stage Company, and Pasadena Playhouse. He is the recipient of three Drama-logue Awards in Los Angeles and three Drammys from the Oregonian Press. He is proud to be a resident member of “A Noise Within”, the classical repertory theatre company in Los Angeles where he has designed over 24 productions since 1998. As a hobby, he is an amateur boxer.

His work has been seen around the country in productions at Indiana Rep., Milwaukee Rep., Alliance Theatre Company, Children's Theatre Company of Minneapolis, Buffalo Studio Arena, Portland Stage Company and the Walnut Street Theatre in Philadelphia and Princeton University.

Starting in 1978, Smith has been a resident designer for Santa Rosa Repertory Theatre, a summer semi-professional training program in Northern California, where for 20 seasons he has both taught students and designed scenery for a total of 42 shows, including 18 musicals.

In Southern California he has spent four seasons at South Coast Repertory receiving two Drama-Logues for his designs for Arms and the Man and A Mess of Plays by Christopher Durang. He is also proud to be a resident artist at the highly acclaimed A Noise Within Classical Theatre Company. For that company Smith has designed a dozen shows in five short years receiving a Garland award for his design of Volpone in 1998.

When he is not at the drafting table, he is at the Jet's Gym where he trains as an amateur boxer.