Eagle Extra 941.312.0665 | ISSUE 4 | APRIL 2024
Getting to know the artists in The Landings: Joe Smith and Charissa Baker Story by Marie-Louise McHugh, Photos by Robert Manteiga I first met Joe Smith at one of our Landings Artists Collaborative sessions at the Racquet Club. I wondered why someone would be working on something that looked like a very large black- and-white negative! (I hope some of you remember the black-and-white negative films of cameras before the digital age!) Joe was working on a black scratchboard. (A scratchboard has a thin layer of black or colored ink. By scratching at the ink layer, one reveals dots and lines of the lighter-colored layer below to create images). Joe creates the most intricate and mesmerizing surreal images by using sharp tools and wearing loupe glasses for extra magnification. Recently, I had the opportunity to talk in greater detail with Joe and I discovered what an accomplished artist, illustrator, author, sculptor, and painter he is. After teaching at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, NY, for 55 years, he retired following a stroke that affected his
Joe Smith at the 2023 Open Studio Show
ability to work for a couple of years. While working at Pratt, he also pursued a very busy artist’s career, showing his work in galleries and museums around the country. His political illustrations appeared weekly in Newsweek and Time Magazine for many years. Some of his work is held at the US National Portrait Gallery and the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. Interestingly, he even worked as a courtroom illustrator for the Watergate trials! Joe Smith is also the author and illustrator of “The Circus Train” a delightful children’s book, among many others. For further information about his extensive career and work, visit his website www.Josasmith.com. Joe Smith met his wife, Charissa Baker, an artist in her own right, at Pratt Institute. After Joe retired, they moved to The Landings to be closer to friends. Charissa grew up on Siesta Key and always wanted to return to Florida to escape the cold. They still have a summer home in Easton, PA. Charissa Baker had a career in graphic design. As a freelance artist, she worked as a computer illustrator and in computer animation. Her work brought her to Pratt Institute, where she met Joe and continued learning about computer and interactive multimedia graphics. While freelancing for the Fort Penn Entomology Laboratory, she specialized in drawing crabs and other sea creatures. This led to her working for the Smithsonian Scientific Journals, where she continued her sea creature illustrations.
She also worked extensively in medical illustrations for large publishers. One of the books she illustrated is “The Bioluminescence Coloring Book.” Over the years, publishers started downsizing, and Charissa decided to pursue another career in massage therapy and art. Just before 9/11/2001, Charissa and Joe left New York City for Easton, PA, where she started printmaking. During the last few years, Charissa focused on watercolor painting under the guidance of an online mentor. She dreams of creating a body of watercolor paintings and continuing traveling. She has fond memories of two trips to Antarctica, where she worked as a photographer for the Museum of Natural History in New York City. Her watercolor paintings are very fluid and delicate. She told me that she now feels emotionally connected with her work.
Charissa Baker at the 2023 Open Studio Show
“Cat Under Black Sun, Silverpoint Print by Joe Smith
Scratch Board work in progress, by Joe Smith
“Heart of the Banyan”watercolor on paper by Charissa Baker
“Flying Angel” Pen and Ink drawing by Joe Smith
Scientific Illustration for the Smithsonian, Decapod Crustaceans of the Indian River
Shell Sculpture by Charissa Baker. She is an avid collector of seashells from local beaches.