Studio Notes
H1N1 Swine Flu
Medium: Oil on Canvas
Size: 48 x 36 inches
Date: August 23rd 2009
Private Collection of Matt Roloff of Little People, Big World
Spring Release: Spring in Portland with Ant DNA
Title: Spring Release: Spring in Portland with Ant DNASize: 48 x 36 inches
Date: 2009
Medium: Oil on Canvas
Sold: Private Collection of Dr. Ryan and Maria Anderson
Sam Roloff’s “Springtime in Portland with Ant DNA” is a brilliant expression within a new genre of art called “Back-story Underpainting”.
The idea originated in Sam Roloff’s studio as he began layering multiple paintings sequentially on a single canvas. Hidden, within each finished work of art, is a multilayered collection of paintings.
Each under-work as well as the outer surface has an associated tale or back-story represented by the artist in written word and digital photography. The underpaintings are often edgy, controversial, and even shocking. These secretive expressions of the artist are then hidden one by one and finally sealed with a gorgeous surface-work.
The final product in “Springtime in Portland with Ant DNA” is a frothy, whipped up cross-section of spring essence. Teeming with particles and sweeping elements, the image sprays and churns in a lively textured rubbing of life. It contains the ethereal elements of air, water, earth, and fire and captures not only real flying ants, but Spring fever itself!
The back-story includes a winter’s tale, the occurrence and mending of trauma to the canvas, ant specimens under glaze, and Sam Roloff’s personal documentation of his stepwise process in the studio. Fascinating.
First Landscape – untitled 01
This is my first painting in this landscape series. It was soon sold and is now in the private collection of Merri and Gary Holt.
This Space Left Intentionally Blank – redue
This painting was also commissioned by Murat Aksu it was based on an earlier commissioned work that I did while in Prague, so you could say it is a double commissioned piece.
Title: This Space Left Intentionally Blank
Medium: Oil on Canvas
Size: 4 x 4 feet
Owner: Murat Aksu
Flotoma Winter – Heather Howitt
This painting belongs to the Landscape Series. It was painted just days before Valentines Day, notice the sky is in the shape of a heart. This was not intentional but was rather pointed out after the painting was done. It is now in the collection of Heather Howitt.
Title: Landscape Series – Flotoma Winter
Medium: Oil on Canvas
Size: 48 x 24 inches
Owner: Heather Howitt