ABOUT THE ARTIST

Samuel Walter received a B.A. in music at Haverford College, and a M.M. and M.M.A. from the Yale School of Music. While completing his graduate and undergraduate degrees, Samuel focused on music performance, studying with renowned teachers such as Paul Watkins, Aldo Parisot and Ralph Kirschbaum, and soloing with numerous symphony orchestras. He has also taught at Yale’s Music In Schools Initiative providing instruction to underprivileged children in the New Haven area. During his time at Yale University Samuel has also established himself in New Haven as a commissioned portrait and still-life artist. In 2021 he was awarded 2nd place in the Portrait Society of America's Future Generation award. He has also received portrait commissions from presidents, professors and administration at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Swarthmore College, Haverford College, University of Pennsylvania, and Yale University.

Currently, Samuel Walter is working on an initiative titled “Portraits of New Haven,” that combines interviews with residents of New Haven with alla prima portrait sittings. The series of taped sessions provides an opportunity for residents of the city not only to have their portrait painted (an opportunity usually only afforded the wealthiest in society), but also gives them a chance to tell their story and give their opinions on issues facing New Haven.

In painting portraits, Samuel tries to capture the personality of the subjects through choices in texture, color, lighting and level of detail. In some of my portraits he creates dark, smooth and subtle backgrounds with layers of glazes. In others he creates bold impasto textures, layering contrasting colors with the palette knife. It is remarkable how faithfully rendered realism, with slight alterations, can accurately capture an individual's personality and state of mind.

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Through his still lifes, Samuel works with colors and lighting to create a particular mood, or atmosphere. Some of the paintings capture the mood of a season, while others portray feelings from a particular time of day.