About Sam Lacombe

Sam Lacombe was born in 1966 in Cincinnati, Ohio. He studied painting with Reed Kay, David Aronson, John Moore, Harriet Shorr, George Nick, and Robert D'Arista at Boston University, where he received a BFA in painting in 1988, and an MFA in painting in 1990. His work revolves around the issues of form, light, space, design, and process, and for the past twenty years his subject has been urban Americana, particularly mid to late twentieth century signage. His work is in several private collections and has been exhibited in group and solo shows nationally and abroad.

Lacombe lives in Baltimore with his wife, illustrator Rebecca Bradley and their two sons. He currently teaches drawing and painting at Maryland Institute College of Art and Towson University.

Statement

My goal is to make emotional art. Part of that is derived from my approach to representation, which owes as much to invention as it does to observation. I attempt to give the viewer all of the information observed in my subjects, without the presumption to edit, or take short cuts. However, it is not my intention to make trompe-l’oeil paintings that concentrate on superficial textural details. Instead, I idealize, reinvent, and attempt to organize my paintings in a highly formal matter to maximize their emotional impact, and to elevate the familiar to the unexpected. The richness of information is there to slow down the process of perception, to provide a sumptuous feast for the viewer’s eye, and as a challenge to myself.

Many paintings are based on my own analog and digital photographs, sketches, and pure invention.  I enjoy painting from life whenever possible. What inspires me in nature is the possibility to see inherent patterns, and hidden compositions. I choose and adjust subject matter to be rigorously formal, and I look for subjects that will be challenging to paint. What I have found in urban architecture and signage is the excuse for bold colors, massive volumes, pattern, and strong light and shadow. I strive to avoid the pitfalls of nostalgia and sentiment often associated with these subjects, and instead concentrate on transformation of these objects through context and design. I often think of my paintings as court portraits, some imbued with the haughty dignity of a Velazquez, some the merry camaraderie of a Hals.

Each of my paintings is designed to be like a unique piece of sculpture: self-contained, formal, and physical. The subjects and forms themselves must be elevated beyond their descriptive or literal qualities to create an object that is far greater than the sum of its parts.

EDUCATION

Boston University — Master of Fine Arts
Boston University — Bachelor of Fine Arts

SOLO EXHIBITIONS

2021 25 Years of Neon, Gormley Gallery, Baltimore, MD
2012 Urban Sites, Library Gallery, Laurel, MD
1998        Recent Paintings, Sherman Gallery, Boston, MA


SMALL GROUP EXHIBITIONS

2019 Curious About Culture, E1507, Baltimore, MD
2018 Recent Paintings, Arts Club of Washington. Washington, D.C.
2009 Overlooked, Hood College, Frederick, MD

SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS

2020 Art on Paper, Circle Galley, Annapolis, MD
2018 Small Wonders, Circle Galley, Annapolis, MD
2018 Faculty Exhibition, Maryland Institute College of Art, Baltimore, MD
2018 Faculty Biennial, Towson University, Towson, MD
2017 Work on Paper, Circle Galley, Annapolis, MD
2016 Faculty Biennial, Towson University, Towson, MD
2016 Faculty Exhibition, Maryland Institute College of Art, Baltimore, MD
2015 Small Wonders, Circle Galley, Annapolis, MD
2014 Faculty Biennial, Towson University, Towson, MD
2013 Work on Paper, Circle Galley, Annapolis, MD
2012 Hickok Cole Annual Art Night, Washington, D.C.
2009        American Landscapes, Circle Gallery, Annapolis, MD
2008 Faculty Exhibition, Maryland Institute College of Art, Baltimore, MD
2007 Cityscapes, Robert Antreasian Gallery, Baltimore, MD
2007 Summer Exhibition, Liberty Gallery, King’s Hill, England
2006 Faculty Exhibition, Towson University, Towson, MD
2005 Skylines, Boston University Art Gallery, Boston, MA
1998 The Art of the Matter, 808 Gallery, Boston, MA
1998 Faculty Biennial, Art Institute of Boston Gallery, Boston, MA
1997 Arternatives, Arternatives Gallery, San Luis Obispo, CA
1997 Alumni Board Exhibition, Sherman Gallery, Boston, MA
1996 Tufts Health Plan Art Exhibit, Department of Transportation, Boston, MA
1995 The Art of the Matter, 808 Gallery, Boston, MA
1995 Annual Exhibit, Exchange Place, Boston, MA

AWARDS AND RESIDENCIES

2019 Maryland State Art Council 2019 Individual Painting Award
2019 Soaring Gardens Residency, Laceyville, PA

TEACHING

St. Paul’s Schools, Brooklandwood, MD — 2022-present

Maryland Institute College of Art, Baltimore, MD — 2006-2022
Towson University, Towson, MD — 2006-2022
Hood College, Frederick, MD — 2008-2012
Stevenson University, Stevenson, MD — 2012
Boston University, Boston, MA — 1994-2011
University of Maryland College Park, College Park, MD — 2006
Art Institute of Boston at Lesley University, Boston, MA— 1994-2005

ADMINISTRATIVE

Director of Student Exhibitions, Art Institute of Boston at Lesley University, Boston, MA— 2001-2005

Member of Alumni Board, Boston University College of Fine Arts, Boston, MA— 1995-1998


BIBLIOGRAPHY
Nicole Long, “And something there is that does love a wall,” BU Bridge, Vol. II, No. 8, October, 1998

Topher Forhecz, “Artist displays the A-B-C’s at Montpelier,” Gazette.net, April, 2012

Wanda Jackson, “Montpelier shows realism work by Baltimore artist,” The Sentinel, April, 2012

Whitney Sherman, Playing With Sketches, Beverly, MA: Rockport Publishers, 2014 (contributor)