During the 1970’s Smock lived and worked in Europe where she studied at London University’s School of Oriental and African Studies. Known primarily for her prints, the artist wrote in 1978 that “ the woodcut continues to enthrall me as an ancient art form…which has infinite possibilities.” Smock also remarked that as “revealed in African sculpture, the wood has a natural divinity—an interior force.”

Also an educator, Smock once served as the chairperson of the Department of Fine Arts at Lincoln University and served as an as an Artist-In-Residence at Dillard University in New Orleans where she taught printmaking. From 1994-1997, she wasa distinguished professor at Ritsumeikan University in Kyoto, Japan. “As a woman of color she broke through many glass ceilings that were rarely accessible to women artists of color at an earlier time in her life. One major achievement was a solo show at the Smithsonian in 1967. Another was participation in a group show with Picasso in 1970.”

During the course of her career, Smock received a number prominent appointments including being select and/or appointed by the governor of Louisiana to the serve on Louisiana State Arts Council, to serve on the board of Trustees of the Cooper-Hewitt National Museum of Design, selected to serve on visual arts panels for the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts.