Timba Smits

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Illustration for Mr Porter
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Illustration for Dunlop Lemans
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Illustration for Mr Porter
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Personal Illustration

Bio

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Current Location
Melbourne, Australia 🇦🇺
Country of Origin
Australia 🇦🇺

Who is Timba Smits? Good question. In wider circles, some say he is an artist and illustrator, others say he is a graphic designer with a penchant for mid-century style and colour, collecting hats, and afternoon cat naps. One chat to his best friend and she will convince you he’s a creative genius and a “really talented f*****r”. There’s even a rumour going around that he was once the elusive and legendary North American Sasquatch. Could he be? That would explain his size. He is very tall. And quite the bearded gentleman. Whoever he is, Timba Smits is no one-trick-pony. Heck, he’s too big to even be a pony. Though if he was a pony, he’d be a ‘many-tricks-pony’.

Notable clients include— Adobe, AirBnB, Apple, Canon, City Of London, Disney, Dunlop Racing, Empire Magazine, ESPN, Faber & Faber, Hasbro, Johnny Cupcakes, Laurence King Publishing, Little White Lies Magazine, Miller Lite, Mr.Porter, Nike, Penguin Random House, Playboy, Popular Science, Quitline, QUT, SBS, The Big Issue, UNSW & Wired.

Once you get me started, I won’t shut up about…
Movies! I love cinema. I love watching movies, thinking about movies, and talking to other cinephiles about (as Arnold Schwarzenegger would say)… MOOFIES.
A movie I never tire of is…
Forrest Gump. It’s been my favourite movie for 29 years running. Sure, I’ve watched a whole lot of other great masterpieces, but I’m yet to find another movie that makes me feel, cry and laugh as much as Gump does. Forrest Gump. Fact: I’ve watched it well over 30 times (once per year!)
For me, the best kinds of projects are…
The ones where I feel like my talent as an artist/Illustrator/designer aligns with a greater or higher purpose. Projects that help people, inspire people, and leave a profound and long-lasting legacy beyond any immediate hype of the art itself.
My favourite clients are those who…
Have time, a good sense of humour, and acknowledge that all artists work differently while respecting the amount of effort and time that creating great art requires.
I’d describe my style as…
No style. Or broad-style. Mid Century artist Bob Peak said it best in his 1962 interview in American Artist Magazine, saying, "It was apparent to me that an artist should not spend years developing a style which, in terms of demand, would quickly pass. In other words, he should not be an artist 'from the wrist down'." And that “Creativity depends on variety”.
For me, getting from A to Z looks like…
Experimenting with, failing on, and learning from every other letter between B and Y. Because… life and work is a complex full alphabet.

Welcome to Jacky Winter Spring/Summer ‘24. Each season a new artist creates original imagery using our site as their playground. The current artwork (above) comes from Georgia Perry. Learn more about our seasonal model of representation and other FAQ.

Want to submit a folio?
submissions@jackywinter.com

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The Jacky Winter Group Acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of the lands we are on and pays respect to their Elders past and present.

The Jacky Winter Group is a member of the AOI and AMA and abides by the relevant code of practice for artist agents.

© The Jacky Winter Group and its respective artists and/or client 2024