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Samuel Pope From an early age, Samuel Pope wanted to be an artist. In school, he spent all his time in the art rooms. One teacher called him “Arty Sam.” The other kids called him “Instant ‘A’.” For college he attended the Thomas Jefferson College at Grand Valley State University where he studied painting with Basil King, a second generation abstract expressionist; and intaglio printmaking with Takeshi Takahara for whom he worked as his assistant. After graduating from college, to make a living he worked in exhibit design, graphic design and marketing while participating in art exhibitions whenever possible. He is now devoting most of his time to the production of fine art. Many of his drawings shown here were done at the Tom of Finland Foundation in Los Angeles. He is originally from Detroit, Michigan but now lives in Long Beach, California a few blocks from the beach. Artist Statement Drawing has always been something I could do. I used to draw with nearly photographic precision but have always been impressed with the flair exhibited by artists such as Sargent, Dega, Manet and Homer; or the showiness of Frans Hals. Being able to record an image quickly can be very difficult. In an effort to loosen up I’ve bounced between near total abstraction and photographic representation. Over time I think I’ve been able to meld the two extremes and am able to achieve a recognizable image with economy — a leg in one line; a shadow in one stroke; the texture of a blanket in one pass. I like the drawings best when they’re purposely unfinished rather than overworked. Their gestural quality evokes motion and energy even in a static model. That excites me as an artist.
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