Solo show from Sam Olshin in the Philadelphia Sketch Club’s Stewart Gallery
Sam Olshin’s Artist Statement:
Trained as a professional architect, and having worked on many institutional and academic buildings, I am interested in historic context. With the architectural training comes the interest in drawing, rendering, and appreciating built form as it relates to local natural landscape. I have always liked working in watercolor, especially plein air, sometimes supplemented by studio work derived from additional sketches done on site. My interest in Cape Cod derives from many summers and winters visiting the region, appreciating the local history, and its distinctive architecture and unique natural light.
I am interested in the “essence of a place” and work to highlight its defining characteristics as defined by the time of day, the resultant shadows cast, and the relationship to the local topography. This series of work draws inspiration from the artists I most admire including Edward Hopper and Winslow Homer as well as Fairfield Porter and Richard Diebenkorn. In my view, those artists also looked at “place making” by defining the essence of what makes an iconic landscape in many of their works. The balance of form, color, shadow, view and what is seen – as well as what is not seen – all help to define the character of a place.
All the watercolors were done within the last few years highlighting many of the most distinctive local structures. This work is a statement of appreciation for what defines the “essence of place” and acknowledges the long realist tradition of Cape Cod artistic imagery.
- Sam Olshin, 2026
Please contact gallerymanager@sketchclub.org for inquiries about purchasing work from this show.