Press Bio (150 Words)
Iain Smillie is a Scottish-born, California-based multidisciplinary artist, photographer, and the founder of The Haus of Legends. With over 30 years of experience across the visual arts, LGBTQ+ entertainment, hospitality, and nonprofit sectors, Iain blends digital and traditional mediums to create mythic, emotionally resonant works. His art collections explore themes of queerness, fantasy, identity, and sacred beauty—often expressed through vibrant digital collage, portraiture, and narrative design. A former studio executive and entertainment director, Iain’s work is deeply rooted in storytelling, advocacy, and community empowerment. The Haus of Legends serves as both his studio and a collaborative space for inspiration and transformation. Through visual art, music, blog writing, and multimedia production, Iain invites audiences to step into a world where imagination is limitless and individuality is celebrated.
Résumé/CV Bio (Professional Tone – 100 Words)
Iain Smillie is an experienced multidisciplinary artist, designer, and photographer with over 30 years of creative industry experience. He holds an Associate of Arts in Graphic Art Communication and Photography from Pasadena City College and is the founder of The Haus of Legends, a creative studio based in Arcadia, California. Iain has worked as an art director, content producer, event manager, studio executive, and nonprofit advocate. His expertise includes visual storytelling, brand development, community outreach, and LGBTQ+ fundraising. His art spans fine art prints, photography, video, music, and digital media, with a focus on individuality, transformation, and expressive design.
Instagram Bio (150 Characters)
- Artist. Photographer. Visionary.
- Los Angeles, CA | Founder: @TheHausOfLegends
- Creating worlds where art, identity & legend collide.
Exhibition/Grant Artist Statement (250 Words)
As a multidisciplinary artist, my work explores the sacred intersections of identity, imagination, and reinvention. I use digital collage, photography, and mixed media to weave visual narratives that embrace queerness, myth, and the power of transformation. My collections—including Black Celestial Royalty and Where Unicorns Never Die—are deeply personal yet universally symbolic, celebrating the parts of ourselves we’re told to hide or abandon. Instead, I bring them to the surface.
I am the founder of The Haus of Legends, an evolving studio, sanctuary, and storytelling platform that lives online and in the historical home I’ve restored in Arcadia, California. My creative journey is shaped by decades of experience in visual art, hospitality, music, and LGBTQ+ entertainment. I’ve worked as a studio executive, nightclub entertainment director, photographer, designer, writer, and nonprofit advocate. These diverse roles have allowed me to curate experiences that don’t just look beautiful—they feel alive.
Every piece I create invites the viewer to see themselves reflected in new light—to become the hero, the deity, the unicorn, the legend. My art is not just about what we see but how we see ourselves. In a world that too often demands conformity, I use my art to honor the unique, the sacred, and the beautifully strange.
