Mariah Smith

Mariah Smith (b. 2001) builds vibrant worlds and populates them with fantastic and funky characters. With color pencils, markers, paint, and chalk, Smith makes aliens, sea-witches, and kittens, though most of all, she draws lots of dragons. The serpents’ lives are skewed reflections of our own - they roller-skate, play Tetris, gorge on seafood, and chit-chat. Many drawings are bustling crowd scenes in the vein of “Where’s Waldo”, with every inch of paper crammed with the creatures’ antics. Looking over an elaborate composition, Smith says, “Sometimes I think about puzzle pieces and how they fit together.”

Smith also constructs the dragons as lovable soft sculptures. She starts with a wire structure, wrapping it in a patchwork of fabrics (elements are sometimes pilfered from her mom’s sock drawer). Then they’re stuffed and artfully adorned with buttons, beads, and yarn. With names like Sophia, Twilight, and Strawberry Shortcake, Smith imagines the creatures as siblings, explaining, “I don’t have any brothers or sisters so I had to make my own.”

Smith is beloved in the studio for her soft-spoken sweetness and sense of fairness. “I do everything I can to support my family and co-workers,” she says. But Smith has edge too - she loves watching videos of chef Gordon Ramsay flying off the handle as she draws scenes of rainbow-colored harmony. 

Smith lives with her mother in the Auburn Gresham neighborhood. She joined Project Onward in 2023.