BUTTER 2025 | PAUL BACARDI SMITH

Paul Bacardi Smith (Indianapolis, IN) is a multidisciplinary artist originally from Detroit, Michigan. Bacardi Smith has a background in media arts, entertainment business, and marketing. He briefly studied Art History and Fine Arts at Wayne State University and has been creating art since childhood. In 2023, he turned to painting as a form of therapy and personal healing, finding a deep connection to oil painting. Bacardi Smith’s greatest artistic influence is his uncle, Vernard Rubens—a Detroit-based artist who has worked across painting, sculpture, and jewelry design for over five decades. Through his own work, Bacardi Smith seeks to inspire deeper appreciation and emotional connection to art, honoring the legacy of his mentor while forging his own path forward.