Captain Cook

Sam Mathers grew up in Raglan moved to Auckland for a period to establish himself ss a full time artist. Sam has now returned to his home base in Raglan where he continues to work as a full time artist. Sam has been exhibiting work since 2004. While living in London Sam worked for Sothebys moving fine art. This job influenced Sam a great deal, as he was constantly handling works by the greatest Artists to ever live. After returning to New Zealand Sam held his first solo exhibition in Raglan. He went on to hold a second, solo exhibition in Auckland. Then he was commissioned by Saatchi & Saatchi to paint a mural in their Parnell offices. Sam then went on to paint a mural for The Media Design School in Auckland. This led to another commissioned mural in San Diego in 2012 for New School of Architecture and Design (NSAD). Since then Sam has exhibited in numerous group art shows throughout New Zealand. Sam's Art is now sought after by serious Art collectors in New Zealand and international collectors. Sam continues with his exhibitions in New Zealand and works on personal and commercial commissioned Art works in New Zealand and around the world. ARTIST STATEMENT My work is a visual diary of my travels around the world and day to day normal life experiences. They document the iconic and instantly recognizable as well as the odd and interesting. I m fascinated by the back story the cultural history behind the well-known images, along with scientific rules and the mechanics of how things work. I explore these ideas within a graphic sensibility and play with scale, depth, text, current and old media, languages, currencies and slang to create a multilayer of meaning -the opportunity for each viewer to find and connect with something different. I deliberately create scratches, paint drips and weather-beaten marks to add character and a natural look, while using an unnatural colour palette. I enjoy the immediacy of acrylic paint, the effects of oil sticks, bold and complimentary colours and the fun of seeing where a drawn line will take me. Its a journey back to the memory of a place and time, to the iconic, the familiar and the quirky.