Moo-net talks: passion pays for farming artist
FROM cave paintings of bison in the Stone Age to Rousseau’s canvas creations of exotic tigers in the 1800s, humans have been using animals as inspiration for their work of art since the dawn of time.
Dublin-based artist Sam Scomparin is keeping the tradition of painting animals well and truly alive with his portraits of farmyard creatures.
Originally from a dairy farm near Venice in Italy, Sam tells the Farming Independent that his love for painting cows began in his childhood and during his summer visits to family in Ireland.
“The only painting course I ever did was in a local library in Italy. I grew up on a dairy farm so that’s where my interest in cows came about,” says Sam. “My mother’s side of the family are from Ireland so we used to visit their farm every summer. I fell in love with their farm and the Irish countryside from a young age.”
The day after graduating with a law degree in Italy, Sam fulfilled his life-long dream to move to Ireland and now works as a solicitor in Dublin. To relieve him from the hustle and bustle of city life, Sam spends the evenings painting.
At first Sam says painting was just a hobby, but with the encouragement of his partner Alan he showed some of his paintings at the People’s Art Exhibition in St Stephen’s Green this year and was blown away by the positive reaction he received.
“A guy from Dubai wanted to buy one of my cow paintings. I couldn’t believe it. I was reluctant to part with them,” says Sam.
This led to Sam setting up an Instagram page which in the space of a few months has nearly 5,000 followers.
“I’ve followers from all over the world and have been sending paintings to Turkey, Singapore, the US, Canada and the Netherlands. I feel so blessed.
“People have been asking me to paint their pets. I’m even painting a hamster for someone at the moment,” adds Sam who is living in Swords, Dublin.
Sam travels to his cousin’s dairy farm in Navan most weekends to take photos of their animals and the countryside. He then refers to them during the week when painting.
Sam says the cow is his favourite animal to paint. “When I was younger on the farm in Italy I used to name every cow. I love to give them a smile and allow their personality to shine through.
“Some day I hope I can become an artist full-time I’d love to some day buy a farm in Connemara.”
Visit Sam’s Instagram page @irishfarmart to view or order his paintings.