The Sam Flores Collection, available at Upper Playground Options

[MFDOOM]

Sam Flores was born in 1975, immersed in the stark beauty of the New Mexico desert. In 1995, he migrated to San Francisco seeking the bohemian lifestyle of the Bay Area. Like most teens of the late 80's and early 90's, Sam was involved in the street cultures of skateboarding and graffiti writing. From 1995-1998, these roots in urban expression helped him land freelance gigs doing graphics for skateboard and clothing companies. His focus medium is paint on canvas and wood. These paintings touch classic themes of "natural beauty," which is in obivious contrast to his life in the urban landscape. He credits Michael Parkes and Derek Hess as influences. The rich flora of his recent work can be compared to the nouveau stylings of Alphonse Mucha.

His figures tend to be somewhat anonymous, even masked in some instances, yet still full of personality and emotion. He effortlessly combines broad fields of color and finely rendered detail, creating paintings that are engaged on many levels. This palette tends to lean toward earth tones, perhaps an homage to the colors of his youth in New Mexico.

Sam has exhibited his artwork in galleries internationally.

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