Son of a New York engraver, James David Smillie is known for his etching skills and watercolor landscapes. At 14, illustrated John Milton's epic poem, Paradise Lost. He worked as a bank note engraver.
He helped organize the New York Etching Club, but began doing landscape painting and was especially interested in mountain scenery. He published etchings after having visited the Adirondacks, the Sierra Nevada and Rocky Mountains. He is the founder of the American Watercolor Society.