Who, or what, is a Pine Giant? It’s a nickname of sorts for an excessively-tall man named Trevor Smith.
That’s me…a ninth-generation Mainer who grew up in a small, uninspiring paper-mill town called Winslow. As an introverted, “indoorsy" Nineties kid with no siblings, there were countless bedroom hours spent drawing elaborate comic strip series, rock-band logos, abstract imagery, still-lifes, gnarly trees, horror-movie-inspired creatures, and plenty of architecture (there may have been a little too much time lost to a Sega Genesis as well). I always clung tightly to a vivid imagination as a kid, and as I got older and traveled the collegiate path to become an architect, there was always a nagging urge to explore new creative horizons. Over the course of my adult years, I grew increasingly torn between the detailed-oriented, schedule-driven, real-world limitations of architecture (and all of its frustrations), and the expressive possibilities of print and graphic design.
Since receiving a master’s degree in architecture back in the spring of 2009, I have donned my fair share of creative hats within the industry (and beyond). Ten years of architecture experience have garnered a vast understanding of design theory, construction methods, building science, and the tedious administrative roles of project management. I've had the opportunity to design multimillion-dollar homes on the rocky coastline of Maine, often acting as project manager, and sometimes even swinging a hammer or hanging cedar shingles out on the job-site. I was commissioned by several clients to design and oversee construction of bespoke furniture for their homes. During those years, there have been dozens of extensive home renovations, highly-detailed basswood architectural models, design competitions, a deep proficiency in various CAD and digital rendering software, a dabbling in landscape design, professional photography of completed designs, and participation in Habitat for Humanity’s Home Builders Blitz. In addition to the professional career track of architecture, my past is also smattered with dozens of retail positions, landscaping gigs and food service jobs. During the Great Recession, I spent a couple years working as a night auditor at a Cape Elizabeth resort hotel, making the nightly rounds, submitting tax information for the day's business, and holding down the front desk. The graveyard shift. Very Overlook Hotel in the winter months. After graduating from The University of Colorado, I was employed for a couple years in a Denver record store as a shift manager, display artist and inventory manager. I was living my own crazy, Mile-High version of High Fidelity.
While living in the heart of Seattle back in 2017, employed as a high-end residential architect, I stumbled across a three-hour Introduction to Screenprinting class offered by a local print studio. Years prior, I had fallen in love with the gig poster and art print designs of contemporary printmakers such as Jay Ryan, Daniel Danger, Modern Dog, and Kevin Tong, as well as the iconic poster artwork of the late-Sixties San Francisco scene. Without hesitation, I paid the admission fee. To this day, probably my best use of $150 yet. In the unfortunate event that the whole “architect thing” didn’t pan out, working within the printmaking field quickly became my next obvious career move. After completing that introductory class, I began hand-printing gig posters for local Seattle concerts. What began as a simple entry-level curiosity, as well as a much-needed distraction from architecture cubicle life at the time, would eventually lead to my current trajectory as a printmaker. I launched the design moniker Pine Giant after relocating back home to Maine in 2021.
​
If you are a local, regional or national band, event planner, business, or anyone else looking for graphic design, illustration, or screen-printed poster services, please feel free to reach out: