LA CYGNE, Kan. — Inside RE-OHZ Ice Cream Shop in downtown La Cygne, Logan Drew Smith is bringing his full-time artist dreams to life.
"My inspiration really comes from my wife," Smith said. "She really pushes me to go beyond my limits.”
The Linn County artist began his career as a young boy, selling comic books to his friends at school, according to his mom.
"He would come home with all these quarters," Beth Smith laughed. "I told him he can't sell comics at school...He's always been a high-spirited guy."
Smith paints out of his home studio and his ice cream shop. His recent piece is a depiction of Patrick Mahomes in skeletal form.
"It's incredible the structure of the skull when it yells," Smith said.
"Skullhomes" is a combination of Smith's macabre style art, incorporating Patrick Mahomes' iconic haircut, headband, and uniform on a canvas re-purposed from the La Cygne landfill.
"When told me he found that at the dump, he said, 'I am going to paint it, Mom.' It’s a canvas!" His mom said laughing. "And he did, I think he’s a little bit crazy too.”
Smith began painting "Skullhomes" in late 2024, around the time his father's battle with cancer picked up.
"I'm a Tampa Bay Buccaneers fan," he said. "The Chiefs meant everything to my dad."
Keith Alan Smith lost his fight with Pancreatic cancer on Dec. 7, 2024. The beloved Pleasanton High School teacher and coach was unable to see the final product.
Smith says his dad rarely missed a Chiefs game and knew every fact about each player. The two both admired Patrick Mahomes' leadership and the way the dynasty rebuilt the culture of Kansas City.
"Mahomes has that mindset of, I could’ve done better. He never gets upset with his people and teammates," Smith said. "When it comes to the Chiefs, you notice that they all work as a group.”
Characteristics his widow says, her late husband embodied himself.
"He could take the roughest and orneriest kids and bring them out of his shell," she explained. "We didn't know how much he meant to the community until he was gone."
During the late stages of Keith's life, students at Pleasanton High School alongside their teachers took a bus to say their final goodbyes.
"Logan and I felt like we owed it to those students to say goodbye," she added. "It didn’t matter what color you were, it didn’t matter what economic group you were in. You were his kid across the board for 48 years.”
Logan told KSHB 41, his dad often critiqued his work. He took it as a compliment to the limitless potential he had as a young man.
"He would do it because he knew I could do better. I will always take constructive criticism," Smith explained. "I knew I wouldn't get to show him this painting when it was done... He always said I'd be successful. I thought maybe it was as a small business owner or something. I think he meant as an artist, but I didn't know it until now."
Keith's final stages of life put his son in a dark place. Logan immersed himself in his art for hours on end, oftentimes blaming himself for not doing more to help his dad.
"There was so much anger because I couldn't fix him," Smith said. "He was my best friend."
Smith intends to paint five one-of-a-kind Chiefs-inspired paintings. His next work is a skeletal Andy Reid, inspired by a Super Bowl Gatorade shower. Logan's mom interprets his skeletal paintings as a symbol for the family foundation.
"Without your skeleton, you are nothing but a blob," Beth explained. "That’s what holds us up. I think that’s how his dad was. He held us up."
A father's passion for the Chiefs franchise brought a family together. It's also propelling an artist's career.
“Dad’s love and passion for the Kansas City Chiefs and then my passion for art — this painting wasn’t supposed to happen," Smith said. "I think this painting is more about me, than maybe my dad."
Smith says the paintings are for sale to the right buyer, but has the goal to somehow get the painting to Patrick Mahomes.
To follow Logan Drew Smith on Instagram, click here.
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KSHB 41 reporter Ryan Gamboa covers Miami County in Kansas and Cass County in Missouri. He also covers agricultural topics. Share your story idea with Ryan.
