Artist's Bio

Samuel Leone has spent his childhood in the rural landscape of the small township of Charlton. Growing up on a farm, he always craved exploration in the woods of his youth. From freshly fallen branches, Sam learned to build tee-pees and forts, start fires, and sharpen points to make spears. He would skip rocks down the burbling creeks and kills that sparkled at the right time of day. He foraged for wild strawberries that grew on the edges of fields and was scolded for foraging for any mushrooms he might find. School friends were only occasional companions in the woods, but the best stories were made with them. Miles of country road made friends distant. So, in the oasis of woodland and farm fields, Sam learned to occupy himself alone. His learning of life molded him into the artist he has become and will be.

Now in New York City, at age 20, Sam studies fine arts at the Fashion Institute of Technology. The transition from country to city was difficult for Sam and still is, but it is exciting for him. There is everything everywhere, with the dense energy packed into the city streets and the ambition of dreams in city life. The differences in behavior of people between home and here provide rich material for his work. Sam brings his unique perspective of people and life with him as he develops as a rising artist. Having such a wide perspective of people is rare. The survey between country and city is intensely diverse in every aspect of culture. Sam is the tree on the edge of the field, growing towards artistic and personal development. But at times, he misses the clear stars and the untended nature of home.

Sam works en plein air, with his paintings made entirely out of the studio. In the outdoors, light shifts with the clouds and clear skies, casting shadows that wane and wax as passersby stroll by. The moment of observation is decided by fate. In an attempt to capture that, Sam paints and studies the pattern of undefinable nature and manmade environments. He works to build a library of outdoor studies, one that will inform and enhance his studio works. Painting is uncertain. Before the brush even touches the canvas, a painting exists only to be uncovered by the artist and the observations that feed him. By consuming his life experience and love of nature and the human world, Sam makes art. He has only just begun his professional career and looks forward to the future of his art and the people he meets creating it.