Welcome to my website, my name is Anna D. Smith, the owner of Anna D. Smith Fine Art and Real Estate Broker in Silicon Valley.

Anna D. Smith Fine Art and Real Estate Broker, whose trademarked motto is “Fine Art needs a Home and a Home needs Fine Art®,”  is a leading Silicon Valley art advisory and brokerage firm, specializing in contemporary Underground art. In addition to its art services, the firm also provides real estate services related to buying and selling commercial or residential properties in Silicon Valley. With a reputation as the “Queen of the Underground Art World,” I have built Anna D. Smith Fine Art and Real Estate Broker into an art and real estate brokerage firm known for its expertise, professionalism, and commitment to client satisfaction.

NATIONAL AND GLOBAL EXPERIENCE & EXPERTISE IN FINE ART AND REAL ESTATE 

Part of my national and global experience and expertise derives from my work as a freelance journalist, where I blog on my website about Real Estate and Underground Art. 

Anna D. Smith’s Fine Art and Real Estate Blog features my perspectives in the worlds of Real Estate and Underground contemporary art. 

In real estate, those topics can include luxury real estate, the real estate market, commercial real estate, architects, real estate brokers, and buying or selling real estate. Popular real estate posts have included “A Guide to Buying a Home with Cryptocurrency.“

In Underground contemporary art, those topics can include Graffiti, Street art, Prison art, NFTs, Digital art, the Art market, buying or selling art, Comic strip, and Graphic novels. Popular Underground contemporary art posts have included “10 Steps to the cheapest way to sell NFTs.“

Anna D. Smith’s Fine Art and Real Estate Daily (The #1 online news source for Luxury real estate and Underground contemporary art), is a Daily news source covering those topics and more, from sources across the Internet including more of my original perspectives. 

LOCAL EXPERIENCE & EXPERTISE IN FINE ART AND REAL ESTATE 

I am a graduate of Lynbrook High School in San Jose, CA, along with receiving a BA Degree from San Jose State University. Upon graduating from SJSU, I started Credit Evaluation Service in San Jose, and have been in the Silicon Valley real estate industry for over 40 years, including my own mortgage loan origination service in the City of San Jose. 

Currently, I am a member of the National Association of Realtors ®, California Association of Realtors, Silicon Valley Association of Realtors, and have held a real estate broker license (CDRE# 01237734) for over 20 years, the highest realtor license in the State of California. 

While a project manager for Stanford Management Company at Stanford University, I managed property endowments, land lease reviews, and oversaw $10 million in monthly construction disbursements. 

In 2007, I received a paralegal degree from De Anza College in Cupertino. While I attended classes, I also volunteered as a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA), reporting to CASA of Silicon Valley under the jurisdiction of  Santa Clara County Superior Court with respect to the youth to whom I was an advocate. I had to write reports and appear in court reporting that the youth’s needs were being met concerning living conditions, school, and activities to enrich his life. I am so proud that he also graduated from high school in 2007, something that is against the odds in the Foster Care System.

I am the founder of A Better San Jose. A Better San Jose consists of local individuals and organizations interested in improving the health and wellbeing of all of San Jose.

I freelance as a local Silicon Valley journalist by being a local guide contributor for Google Maps. I have written for the Los Gatos Patch on both art and real estate, and contributed to Bay Area local news station, KRON4. 

Popular local real estate posts on my Anna D. Smith’s Fine Art and Real Estate Blog have included, “The Ultimate Commuter Condo for Silicon Valley.” 

Popular local art posts on my Anna D. Smith’s Fine Art and Real Estate Blog have included, “The Annual ICA San José Benefit Art Auction November 5th, 2022.” 

In 2018, my twin brother died. In 2019, my son was sentenced to prison for five years. Both of these losses affected me deeply.  Through a prisoner pen pal website, I met California prison artist Donald “C-Note” Hooker, the world’s most prolific prison artist. 

C-Note’s works have changed lives, saved lives, made history in the Fashion World, and raised millions of dollars. C-Note is an artist, playwright and poet.

I thought that his Art would make a unique contribution to my vision of Hope and Beauty in Silicon Valley and the Bay Area. 

I wanted to have the Art of a powerful and soulful man to exhibit my themes on two art billboard exhibitions that I would curate. Donald “C-Note” Hooker, in whom I helped become, aka “Billboard Banksy,” where he made Prison art history by becoming the first prisoner to have his art exhibited on a billboard.

“Look Up!” is a journalistic term to describe works of art on Billboards in the United States. It is a new trending phenomenon in the art world, mostly curated by social justice art curators. 

From Oct. 17, 2021 – Dec. 15, 2021, I curated the artist’s billboard exhibition “Look Up!” It was held at 861 West San Carlos Blvd, in San Jose, California. It featured C-Note’s 2017, Incarceration Nation, an extremely important piece of art, because it is an image of the 48-contiguous states of the USA, with prison bars going through them. Included in the work are red push pins. These push pins act as red dots to highlight the locations of the state sanctioned deaths of: Travon Martin in Florida; Michael Brown in Missouri; Sandra Bland in Texas; Philando Castile in Minnesota; Freddie Gray in Maryland; Ezell Ford, Wakiesha Wilson, Central California Women’s Facility (CCWF) & Oscars Grant in California; and Charleen Lyles in Washington State. 

From Dec. 27, 2021 – Jan. 31, 2022, I curated the artist’s billboard exhibition,“Look Up!” 2, Hope and Beauty. It was held on the corners of Stevens Creek Blvd & Winchester Blvd, next to Santana Row, the most upscale shopping and residential housing in Silicon Valley. It featured C-Note’s 2015, Colored Girl Warholed. 

These outdoor art exhibitions took place during the pandemic, when Silicon Valley residents were prevented from going into museums or galleries to enjoy art. So I decided to bring art to the community, in a safe environment, being respectful of Covid health restrictions. 

Scroll down to see Drone footage of Anna D. Smith’s “Look Up!” 2, Hope and Beauty Billboard Art Exhibition and Art Sale Dec 27 – Jan 31, 2022

Besides the two solo art exhibitions I curated, I now sell over 200 prints or originals of C-Note’s rare Fine Art. 

Scroll down to see works below. 

To purchase over 200 museum quality prints of C-Note’s original works of art, click on image. Prices are subject to change.

Please feel free to write C-Note at the following address.

Donald Hooker, K94063
CSPLAC

Facility B, Building 5, Bed 136

P.O. Box 4490

Lancaster, CA 93539

I’ve been asked how does C-Note get Art supplies?

If you want to contribute so that he may purchase art supplies, he would appreciate it. Sometimes he only has Folgers coffee to work with.

To contribute click the Jail Pay link: jpay.com