Amanda Smith of Amanda Smith Western Art was based out of Wyoming from 2005 until May of 2018, when she and her husband relocated their ranch, and her western art decor business to Texas. Amanda started out her career as a photographer in Bay City, Michigan in 1992, where she began her photographic career creating artwork for Musicians' CD and Album covers.

Growing up around the agricultural world of some parts of Michigan, Amanda found her love and passion in horses. Cowboy boots and jeans were and still are an ordinary part of her wardrobe, and her love of the west began to bloom.

Traveling to California (via her homestate Michigan) in 1994, Amanda began shooting for the "Bulls Only Rodeo," as well as the Western Circuit of the PRCA, WHRA through 2005.  Early on in her rodeo photography days she realized that something was missing in her own world of Western Photography, and that something was art.

Amanda created her first piece of Western Photographic Art in 1994, as Amanda Smith Western Art, titled "After the Ride." She gained nationwide recognition for that piece which placed first in the National Color Awards.

Amanda photographed rodeos on the professional circuit in the western states for nine years, winning several awards, receiving her official Bulls Only Rodeo Photographer Montana Smith buckle, and gaining recognition as a premier rodeo photographer. Smith also opened her own photography studio in California, where she created portraits for people from all over the country; including PRCA Rodeo contestants from the Western Circuit, Authors, Rodeo Queens, Musicians, hundreds of weddings, and portraits.

In 2004 she was invited to photograph several ranches in Arizona, California, Montana and Wyoming, to create an incredible three month documentary called "The American Cowboy" where for three very exciting months she captured real life photos of working cowboys and cowgirls, and turned those images into works of art that won numerous awards both nationally and internationally, including receiving her title of Honorary Color Master through the International Color Awards in years 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017.  Her works have been published in various publications, books, CDs, and newspapers.

Amanda's artwork is collected by Corporate entities, hospitals and universities, utilized in nationwide fundraisers including the American Heart Association, the National Snaffle Bit Association, and Cancer Relay for Life, among many others.

She is highly collected by both private, public, and corporate collectors from the East Coast to the West Coast, from the Northern states to the Southern states, the UK, Netherlands, and Nova Scotia.

During her career as a Professional Photographer and Western Photographic artist, she published an award winning Associated Press Newspaper for eight years. Published outside of Glenrock, Wyoming, her newspaper circulated statewide with award winning articles and journalistic photography.

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Amanda and her staff made history when she became the first woman owned "non-daily" paper newspaper in the United States to launch on the Kindle and iPad, and the first woman owned "non-daily small" paper newspaper to launch on the Kindle and iPad, in the world. She was a pioneer in becoming the first news source in Wyoming to deliver live news and alerts in "real-time" to the people of the state of Wyoming; paving the way for other news sources, Law Enforcement and Emergency personnel to provide immediate and accessible real-time news and alerts in the Cowboy State; something that had never been done before.

Smith was also instrumental in setting up (and donating) an emergency texting phone, with a designated emergency texting line in Converse County, where rural ranchers (who had little to no call signal) could text the designated 24/7 911 line in emergencies. 

Smith won numerous photography awards over the years with her newspaper including First Place with the National Newspaper Association in the Best Local News Photographer category, nationwide, and Best in Advertising thanks to her amazing graphic artist, Wes Taylor. 

Smith also received the prestigious Associated Press Award: the APME award from the Associated Chief of Bureau in 2012.

Amanda is an advocate for Pilots For Christ; and a regular donor and contributor to 4H, Legion Baseball, the Boys and Girls Club, as well as the Special Olympics of Wyoming, Make a Wish foundation, Hospital foundations, and many others. 

Smith now holds photography classes and retreats on her Texas ranch, and teaches photography and western photographic art lessons to students from all over the states of Wyoming, Texas, Minnesota, and more.

She spends her time between chasing her passion, creating and selling real Western Photographic Art for the world to enjoy, and her Texas cattle ranch.

Smith worked and lived on a working cattle ranch in Wyoming before relocating to Texas in 2018. 

Amanda recently finished, and launched with great success,  her first novel "Leaving Wickenburg" which is now available here on her site in hardcover, as well as on Amazon in paperback, Kindle and Audio Book, in the USA and Canada. 

Amanda Smith Western Art

Texas Western Artist

Wyoming Western Artist