Sam was born in Anchorage, Alaska. Having a father as a bush pilot and a mother who was raised on a farm in Holden, Utah, he spent his boyhood hunting and fishing, not just for simple sport but to actually help feed the family. Having a real connection to the natural world by necessity, gave him a genuine love and appreciation of his environment and all living things.
Spending time alone in the outdoors gave him the opportunity to witness some truly amazing events. Seeing wild animals interacting with their environment, gave rise to pencil drawings depicting the places and events he was experiencing first hand. Pencil sketches, although still a very integral part of his process, evolved into color portrayals when his father gave him his first set of oil paints when he was 14. Although well accomplished with acrylics, he still prefers and primarily paints in oil on hardboard or canvas. His style has been greatly influenced by many of the 19th and 20th century masters like Thomas Moran, Albert Bierstadt and Carl Rungus.
His paintings are rich in detail, combining muted tone with vibrant, rich colors, true to the remote landscapes he chooses to illustrate, giving the viewer a sense of actually being there in that moment in time.
