Alex Sample

Biography

Alex Sample studied at Arizona State University where he earned his B.F.A in Studio Art. His studies focused primarily on metalworking, woodworking and art history. Sample's passion for reverse painting happened almost by accident after turning over a piece of glass that he had been using as a mixing palette to discover a whole new way of working.

Sample's work is generally conceived through digital imagery and manipulation.

'Rarely do I sketch with a pencil and paper, except for when I have a spontaneous idea that needs to be remembered or rendered.'

Sample likes to present the viewer with a new perception of moments, places, objects or feelings, concentrating on impressionistic earthscapes, images and organic abstract realms. Sample has been commissioned by clients all across the U.S.A and takes a unique approach in helping those clients find and select the art that is best for them.

Sample now lives in Southern California where he continues with his work of projecting his vision through Plexiglas in order to explore the boundaries of Reverse Painting. He has embraced the technique of Reverse Painting on Plexiglas to convey his artistic vision.

Rather than the traditional use of canvas, this process requires painting on Acrylic Plexiglas or glass. The technique of Reverse Painting is also more time consuming than the traditional painting on canvas, where every prior layer of paint must dry completely before continuing with the piece. The subject and composition have to be planned before the project can start as every desired image is created by first discerning objects, details or highlights in the foreground from those in the background or the most visually distant point of the piece of work. There is very little room for error with this technique as there is no way of painting over mistakes or to make additions to the painting once the previous layers have dried.