Stan Smith was born in 1929 and grew up in a working class family in Hull.
He showed a talent for drawing from an early age and trained at the St Albans school of Art and then the Royal College of Art. He had a long teaching career which culminated with his final position in 1986 as head of fine art at Ruskins school of drawing and fine art in Oxford.
He was honorary life president of The London group, a member of the Royal Watercolour society and chairman of the Chelsea Arts club.
His work is widely collected by individuals and institutions.