Upcoming exhibition at LEDA Gallery | 28 Jul-3 Aug
Originally from Connecticut, just north of New York, Sam’s professional background is in the military working as a fighter pilot and since moving to Newcastle six years ago, continues in similar realms.
Known to always have a creative side, Sam remembers painting from his early childhood and continuing to follow his artistic pursuits in numerous workshops and classes into adulthood.
It was during Covid that Sam found himself with more time on his hands to dip his toes back into his artistic pursuits. Creating a few finished pieces later and connecting with the local creative scene, the idea for a debut exhibition started to piece together.
“I’ve always had a creative side since I was a kid, even when I was in the military, I would always keep up my drawing. It’s only recently that I’ve decided to really give it a go. The silver lining during lockdown over covid was time at home where you were forced to work on some other creative pursuits.
“I made a couple of paintings over lockdown that kind of related to Newcastle in the way of its imagery. There were a lot of landscapes, beach vegetation, and surf-styled paintings. It has organically grown from that because I’m surrounded by these environments all the time.”
The debut exhibition at LEDA Gallery, Pigface by Sam Boyd, kicked off on the 28th of July and ran through until the 3rd of August.
“I had been to a couple of shows at LEDA Gallery and it’s such a beautiful space. They had put a couple of feelers out there on Instagram and I responded, and they had seen a little bit of my work and we just went from there.”
The name Pigface is in reference to the coastal succulents you’ve no doubt seen on your trips to the beach. Something sentimental to Sam and the trips he’s made to the ocean with his daughter over the years.
To understand a bit more about Sam’s signature style, we delve straight into looking into some of the artworks that will be available during the exhibition. Exploring figures and movement coupled with coastal landscapes and surrounding environments, Sam uses mostly oil paint on canvas to create his figurative works.
“Generally, it’s what I see in my day-to-day life. I find it interesting to focus on smaller details that you might usually walk right past. I gravitate towards figurative and representative kind of classical art.”
Reflecting on his broader artistic tastes and influential and inspirational artists, Sam shares a selection of his favourite artists; each with their own distinct style and many of which are Newcastle based.
“There are so many talented visual artists in Australia. I really love Robert Malherbe, he’s a really amazing Australian painter; one of the most excellent artists out there. My neighbour, Susanna Harrison is a really renowned illustrator and she’s been really helpful. I’m just now really encountering folks that I can look to that demonstrate how you can really make it and be successful as an artist.”
We’re excited to see where Sam’s creative journey takes him, and how he evolves within our local creative community.
“I think the Newcastle creative community is just amazing. It’s really supportive and I’ve connected socially with a local group of artists, who are in the same, or in a slightly more advanced stage career-wise than me, and we’re learning a lot from one another.”
If you couldn't make it along to the exhibition, be sure to check out his works and future adventures on his Instagram, Art Damsel here.
“Damsel was my call sign when I was a Fighter Pilot. It is still a big part of my life, and I didn’t want to lose that. It defines a lot of who I am.”
