Chad Smith, the iconic drummer for the Red Hot Chili Peppers, has expanded his artistic horizons beyond music. A Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Inductee, six-time Grammy Winner, and now a respected fine artist, Smith has embarked on a journey to express himself through visual art.
Chad Smith is one of rock’s most iconic musicians, leading a generation redefining music as the drummer for the Red Hot Chili Peppers and changing culture as an advocate for music and the arts.
Smith’s venture into the art world began in 2015 when Los Angeles visual-art team SceneFour approached the musician. They’d previously worked with drummers like Black Sabbath’s Bill Ward, the Grateful Dead’s Mickey Hart, and Slayer’s Dave Lombardo to create eclectic, abstract works that attempted to capture the essence of their music in a visual form.
“I thought their ideas were really interesting,” says Smith, who had never previously considered creating visual art.
“This is a fun, new way to express myself,” he says. “If they dig it [or] don’t dig it, that’s OK.
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The Creative Process
The process began with Smith playing drums with lighted sticks at SIR Studios in Los Angeles while the SceneFour team photographed him. “They then take the images and manipulate them in different ways,” Smith says. “They use different colors, textures, and depths. I’ll say to them, ‘I like that. I don’t like this.
Each hand-embellished work is crafted from rhythm. As a painter uses brushes with oils of different colors, Chad Smith works with drumsticks to capture light in a variety of ways; crafting rhythms that translate to very unique artwork.
In some ways, the process reminded him of his day job with the Chili Peppers. “It’s the same thing, where you find the right people that are on the same page as you with a vision,” he says.
Exhibitions and Art Collections
His first collection, Parallax, debuted in 2016. Smith was more hands-off with Parallax, but with this new exhibit, he enhanced some of the works himself with paint, chalk, and even a screwdriver. “I wanted to add some things to make them more special,” he says.
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His second one, The Art of Chad Smith, is just rolling out now.
Here's a list of notable exhibitions featuring Chad Smith's artwork:
- The Art of Chad Smith: Russell Collection Fine Art gallery in Austin.
- The Art of Chad Smith: Ocean Galleries in Stone Harbor from May 28 through May 31st 2021.
- AD ART SHOW 2021: Smith was the featured guest artist and host.
- The Art of Chad Smith: Road Show Company gallery at Santa Monica Place from July 26 through July 31, 2022.
He’ll be appearing at the Russell Collection Fine Art gallery on January 11th and January 12th, but isn’t quite sure what’ll happen when he arrives. “They talked about me playing, but I don’t want it to be any sort of performance-based thing,” he says. “I’m not going to play drums with lighted sticks in the gallery. That seems a little…I don’t like that route. I’m just going to show up and see what happens. There might be, like, three people there.
He plans on hitting two more art galleries across America in February. “I’m doing it on the weekends when I’m not doing my day job,” he says. “We’ll see. If I’m not digging it and it’s too weird, maybe I won’t show up.
Mixed Media on Drums
Another feature of this exhibition will be a collection of Original Mixed Media on Drums; works created by printing one of Chad’s art images on a drum skin.
Read also: Michigan roots of Chad Smith
Inspiration and Philanthropy
Clearly, Chad’s own public-school success story, generous time and inspiring life paved the way for his 2014 appointment as a Turnaround Artist under the President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities.
“I really want kids to pick up instruments so they can see how fun it is to play,” he relates. “It’s important to have technical proficiency-in anything, there’s practice and hard work, no shortcuts-but if you love it, you’re gonna wanna do it. I want them to see that after all these 40-ish years, I still love it, that’s why I still do it. It’s fun.
Modern Drummer celebrates Chad Smith’s music achievements in his new book. Modern Drummer Legends Vol.
Looking Forward
That “day job” he speaks of just got a lot more interesting now that guitarist John Frusciante returned to the Chili Peppers after a 10-year absence. “I was given strict orders for this interview: ‘DON’T TALK ABOUT THE BAND,'” he says. “But, yes, John is back in the band, and everyone knows that. We’re psyched. The festivals are the only shows booked. For now, we’ll mostly be concentrating on new songs and writing a new record.
To clarify, that’s strict confirmation that the band is in the middle of creating a new record? “Yes,” he says.
Upon reflecting on his life, Smith can hardly believe his good fortune. "I work with people who want to grow; the Chili Peppers are open to new directions, and as an artist, it's the best creative situation to be in. It's simple: I love what I'm doing, and I'm fortunate. I got pretty good at the music thing," he says humbly.
When it came to this idea of taking what is rhythm and putting it to canvas, what were your initial thoughts when you heard this kind of medium was being done?
Chad: I think that this is an exciting new medium which is important and will stand the test of time and will be timeless. Music, sound, visualization…all of those things go hand in hand and have through the history of art. My hope is that its’ the emotion, the fluidity and intensity that come across….
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