Sam started painting hexagons in 2023 and liked the implication of the cube hidden in each hexagonal panel. As he completed more painted hexagons he started seeing thematic connections between them; they linked together and created a loose narrative. A cast of characters began to emerge. Some images like the house, moon, and mountain were old friends, but new images: alien crafts, terraformed landscapes, and six eyed alien beings were new characters- Sam became absorbed in this kooky, sci-fi, surreal world. 

 

Over the past decade and since graduate school, Sam tried to let go of intellectual pretenses about his work and aims to paint from a place that feels authentic and fulfilling to him, and remembers during an art school critique a professor said “that often, intelligence or profundity of an artist’s work doesn’t come from the idea or concept upon which the work is built, but rather from skill, depth and dedication of that artists practice” that resonated with him.

 

Spheres Collide refers to Sam’s life long attempt to combine the many disparate influences that influence his work. Sam has tattooed for 30 years, writing graffiti for nearly forty years, as well as painting and making murals and assemblages, and has often kept these modes separate. In this work, Sam is allowing all of the disparate spheres of his creative practice to collide into one cohesive body of work. Spheres Collide also refers to a schism that tries to reconcile High Art from Low Art, and the feeling of wanting to be validated by the system of museums and galleries that are the gate keepers of the high art world while simultaneously desiring the accolades of being a ‘dope old school graffiti writer’ with street cred. In his words, “ I think this cultural schism has been eroding for decades in the greater art world but there are still remnants of those walls in my mind.” 

 

About the Artist 

 

Sam Parker has been a professional artist and tattooist for the past three decades. Originally from Minneapolis Minnesota he has worked across the country in Atlanta and Denver and most recently in Louisville Kentucky.

 

Sam received his BFA with a focus on drawing and painting from Kennesaw State University in 2004 and his MFA from Georgia State University in the same discipline in 2010. Sam has shown his work nationally and internationally and continues to make paintings and tattoos.