Sam Wolfe-Connelly & The Floating Gaze

“I was born in the D.C. area and moved to NYC last year after spending 4 years living in Savannah, GA. I enjoy drawing strangers in public, ransacking haunted houses and expanding my thorough knowledge on all types of honey. I try to find purpose in my art by trying to evoke as much emotion as I can within my viewers. Some of my illustration clients include Playboy, Hasbro, Penguin, Night Shade Books and Coheed & Cambria. ” – Sam Wolfe Connelly

1xRUN Thru Interview

Gaze by Sam Wolfe Connelly

1xRun: Tell us a little about Gaze, is the original still for sale? What materials was it printed on and drawn with? How long did it take ?

Sam Wolfe Connelly:  I did the original piece for the recent ‘Kingdom Animalia’ show, which has already sold. It was done in graphite, chalk and acrylic on BFK Rives paper. I finished this piece back in June. I would say it took probably around 30-40 hours or so.

1xRun: Tell us how the idea and execution came about?

Sam Wolfe Connelly:  Well the show was based around art focusing on animals and my idea for the piece was to have an animal present and an important part of the image, but not necessarily the center of attention. I really wanted to portray a sense of uneasiness of having a set of eyes on you, or having your eyes on someone else. I felt a cat would be a perfect fit for a haunting gaze.

Sam Wolfe Connelly:  I used a lot more mixed media than I usually do in my drawings.

Sam Wolfe Connelly: Because I really need to pay rent.

Sam Wolfe Connelly: Eerie.

1xRun: When did you first start making art?

Sam Wolfe-Connelly: In the womb. But I was more into performance art then.

1xRun: What artists inspired you early on?

Sam Wolfe-Connelly: Sam Weber definitely got me interested in illustration. I’ve always loved Gustav Klimt, John Singer Sargent, and Lu Cong.

1xRun: What artists inspire you now?

Sam Wolfe-Connelly: Mostly just odd, black and white photos I find. The creepier the better.

1xRun: Do you listen to music while you work? If so what? If not then what is your environment like when you work?

Sam Wolfe-Connelly: Yea all I listen to is music. I can never go wrong with Coheed & Cambria, The Mars Volta, The Blood Brothers, Pierce the Veil. The list goes on.

1xRun: If you could collaborate with any living artist who would it be and why?

Sam Wolfe-Connelly: I don’t think I could pick just one. I really want to do a giant gallery show with all my art friends here in NYC.

1xRun: If you could collaborate with any deceased artists who would it be and why?

Sam Wolfe-Connelly: Probably Egon Schiele because everything he did seemed to be brilliant.

1xRun: What was the first piece of art that you bought? Do you still have it?

Sam Wolfe-Connelly: I don’t think I’ve ever bought a piece of art. Which probably makes a bad case for trying to sell my own…shhh

1xRun: What else do you have in the works?

Sam Wolfe-Connelly: I’m currently working on a trove of pieces solo show early next year.

1xRun: Where o where can people find you across the wild world of the internette?

Sam Wolfe-Connelly: Website – Facebook – Twitter – Tumblr

-1xRUN