(American b. 1960) Sam Earle is a native of Boston, MA, who has lived and worked in the South End for over thirty years. His work can be found in many private and public collections, including the DeCordova Museum and Sculpture Park, as well as the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Earle’s unique medium has remained consistent for decades; however, his subject matter shifts between specific societal fascinations, such as agriculture, antiquities, and symbology. The work recalls the layering of Jasper Johns with the playful overstimulation of Claes Oldenburg’s pop art.
Earle’s mixed media paintings are composed of tediously layered, hand-painted transfers on hollow-core wood panels or metal sheets. He utilizes monoprinting techniques so that no two images are exactly the same, despite their similar appearances. The complex and meticulous method that produces the highly layered imagery is bound together with painted tacks, which add to the compositional and textural dimensions of the work.
