bridges and ships and cathedrals and old sheds.

about sam colt
My ancestors were fishermen, I myself am from rural Vermont but raised children and had a business in NYC installing Venetian plaster and gold-leaf finishes in swanky places.
Maybe this explains my preoccupations with bridges and ships and cathedrals and old sheds.
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Certain kinds of stuff give me an unsettled "wtf happened here" feeling and when I'm lucky enough to see something that hits me with that feeling, I take that moody discomfort into the studio and set about trying to get inside the feeling with my hands until something feels revealed, or at least respected.
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I'm not classically trained, but my skills are hard won and I use the materials I know like the back of my hand to work things out, to get my searching heart down onto hardboard, and sometimes it works itself out into the shape of a painting.
sam colt process
In order to "get something going" I start by troweling multiple layers of marmorino and/or grassello - which are white marble-based lime putties from Italy - onto hardboard. After whipping the grassello down onto hardboard in quick color layers I carve into it to create underlying structure. The next days will find me picking out areas to cover with brass or silver or gold leaf, pouring washes that settle into the carving and pushing things around. The final days will be about pulling forward or masking earlier layers and adding detail using gouache, varnishes, and cold wax. Here are some images of work in progress and the studio vibe - studio visits welcome - get in touch.