Artist Sam Wood is an incredible young talent that we are honoured to have the chance to work with so early in his career. Sam set out to be a full time artist from the moment he graduated from university and has been with us in the gallery since 2018.
Now 28 Sam has developed a strong style as an artist with three distinctive collections of work. Here Sam tells us about the process he goes through to create his stunning original works of art:
Embrace You, Framed Original Oil painting by Sam Wood
‘My process starts by deciding on a subject matter, I mainly work from photos. These can be pictures I have taken or from old found photos.
While I am choosing a photo, I will spend a bit of time thinking about how the finished painting might look and I will try and let the themes of the subject matter inform my process, for instance I might add texture to the surface of the canvas, or I may darken the entire canvas if I was painting a night scene. If I am painting a young woman’s face, I might think about working on a smoother surface with soft brushes to compliment the softness of a face etc…
Working with oil paints I will start by sketching out broad shapes with thin paints almost like a pencil drawing. After this stage I will start roughly adding shadow and light values. The early stages of the painting are the most fun for me because progress is quick, and I don’t worry or get bogged down with details at this stage. And since I have only just started the direction and possibilities of the painting feel endless.
Pub Scene, Limited Edition Giclee Print by Sam Wood
After this I will generally try to apply oil paint all over the canvas, unless I want some areas left so you can see the early stages of the painting like the drawing or the exposed canvas which can be very interesting.
Then after the whole surface is covered with paint the whole progress usually slows down and I will go back to areas which are not quite right and repeat this until I am happy with how the overall painting is working. I will take photos, turn paintings upside down and use mirrors to try and see the painting “freshly”. Sometimes I will put the painting at a far corner of the studio and stand on a table just to get a new angle which can help me work out what why a painting might not be looking how I want it.
The final step is just to tighten everything up, refine areas and leave other areas much looser. Once I am happy with how it looks, I will let the painting dry and start thinking about a frame for it.’
See our full collection of Originals and Giclee Prints by Sam Wood here