Tharien Smith's creative journey began at the Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) in Pretoria, where she discovered her passion for art, textiles and the intricate world of fabric and surface design. This fascination blossomed into a unique fusion of art, design, and textile expertise that defines her work today. 

After earning her National Textile Degree, Tharien worked in the corporate creative sector, designing everything from furnishing fabrics and fashion to graphics and ceramic tiles. Over the years, she developed a versatile portfolio and honed a diverse skill set. 

Around eight years ago, she made the bold decision to embrace her artistic vision and follow her intuition fully. 

Now based in Cape Town, Tharien creates striking artworks and textile pieces that blur the boundaries between fine art and design. Working across painting, mixed media, and sculpture, she continually explores the interplay of innovation, beauty, and form. 

Her creative process often begins behind the camera-photographing people and moments that later inspire her paintings. 

Though she occasionally works in acrylics, oils remain her preferred medium for their depth and expressive potential. 

Tharien's art celebrates the act of truly seeing - discovering the beauty hidden in ordinary moments. In Snapshots, she transforms fragments of daily life into quiet reflections of memory and meaning, inviting viewers to look beyond the surface. Her H2O Water Series continues this exploration through the fluid language of water, a living metaphor for change, emotion, and the unseen depths of existence. 

Light, shadow, and symbolism weave through her work, where animals often represent spiritual connection and absence becomes its own kind of presence. Tharien's process mirrors her curiosity: combining textiles and design to create a resin sculpture a functional work that glows as a sculptural light- and experimenting with abstract collages that explore intuition and texture. 

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Across her varied practice, Tharien blurs the boundaries between the real and the imagined, offering a gentle reminder to pause, feel, and rediscover the wonder in both the world around us and within ourselves.