Short Bio
Born in Missoula, MT, currently residing in Carnegie, PA, the artwork of Sam Spitzer combines nature, found objects and oddities to create nostalgic and unique 2-d and 3-d wall sculptures drawing viewers in with detail and strange combinations.
Statement
My art has evolved over the years, taking on different forms, and different directions, eventually falling into mixed-media, multi-object pieces describing and defining myself. They are personal pieces, full of nostalgia, personal pain, faith, humor, pride, struggle and hope. There is a mystery behind the pieces I make, while remaining extremely graphic and bold. The mystery is there on purpose. Humans come to artwork having lived different lives, had different experiences and different aesthetics, and not everything has to be explained. Beauty lies in wonderment and discovery.
I rely on mixed media and diversity to stay focused and excited about art. I make jewelry, draw, repurpose and assemble to allow the outside a glimpse into my mind and heart.
Biography
Sam Spitzer was born in Missoula, MT in 1981. After graduating from Montana State University with a degree in Art Education, he moved to Denver, CO and spent 12 years teaching middle and high school classes. These classes included photography, drawing, painting, 3-d sculpture, metal smithing, graphic design, and ceramics. But this is not where art began for him. Sam's father was an auto body technician, however at home, his father would create art. Growing up in North-Central Montana, his father grew up frequently enjoying his time in the outdoors, fishing, hunting and camping. This also had an impact on his father's art, where he would draw with graphite and colored pencils images of mountain men, wildlife and outdoor scenery. He would also burn these images with a wood burner into stretched animal leather and shelf mushrooms. This left a clear impression on Sam and on his work. Sam also grew up hunting, fishing and camping with his father and family and it can be seen in his work. He utilizes animal bones, and antlers, disassembling and reassembling them in unusual and unnatural arrangements, including other found objects, paint, flocking material and pottery shards. Currently residing in Western Pennsylvania, in Carnegie, has provided an abundance of found material for his work. Creeks and streams flowing in the area continuously reveal decades worth of discarded and broken pottery and glassware. Sam takes trips to these creeks a streams with his family and recovers these interesting relics, incorporating and re-configuring different components along with antlers, bones, paint and flocking material.
Resume / CV
Art market selling artwork and prints at summer and winter markets.
920 Forsythe Rd. Carnegie, PA 15106
303-819-7782
zettazilla@gmail.com
Education:
Montana State University, Bozeman, MT
Graduated 2004 Bachelor's Degree: Major in Art with emphasis on Education
Grand Canyon University, Phoenix, AZ
Graduated 2010 Master's Degree in Education
Exhibition Record:
First Friday Community Collaboration: Denver, CO 2014
Led a partnership with local Santa Fe Arts District leaders to create an opening at a gallery space for student work. Community leaders, school administrators, students and families all were invited to
come and participate in the studentʼs big reveal.
Denver Public School Art Educator Art Showcase: Denver, CO 2004-2015
Showcased artwork along side other art educators within Denver Public Schools.
Solo Show at Sputnik: Denver, CO 2015
Denver Flea: Denver, CO 2015-2016
Art market selling artwork and prints at summer and winter markets.
Denver Horseshoe and Flea Market: Denver, CO 2015-2016
Art market selling artwork and prints at summer and winter markets.
Gallery Crawl in the Cultural District: Pittsburgh, PA 2018
Solo show at Pittsburgh Courtyard Marriot in downtown Pittsburgh showcasing 2-d and 3-d artwork.