Mr. Smith’s Peach Seeds Trailer (2012)

Trailer for the documentary Mr. Smith's Peach Seeds.

In 1968 Roger Smith ate a peach during a break from work. When he was finished he took out a pocketknife and began carving the peach pit into a tiny pig. 43 years later the retired meter reader and cattle rancher from Culloeka, Tennessee has carved hundreds of peach seeds into hummingbirds, stingrays, gospel choirs, entire villages, even a baseball stadium with 100+ figures. "Given enough time," says Smith, "I don’t think there is anything you can’t make out of a peach seed."

Roger Smith’s unique art, inspiring talent, and fascinating life are the subject of a short (11 minute) documentary by filmmaker Stewart Copeland. The explores Smith’s process as well as his inspirations and presents a thoughtful portrait of a self-taught artist who’s distinctive art is as much a part of his rural Southern landscape as it is a reflection of it.