New York based artist Sam Wolfe Connelly paints moments of mid-conjuring — that moment when true evil is revealed. Inside the black of the canvas there is a reality to his use of light — from behind the viewer, a spotlight shapes the terrible things that happen in the darkness and freezes whatever has been summoned.
Connelly’s work is dreamlike, each piece a daguerreotype of a memory, a dream. A haunting. There’s a sense that his images are about to fade away. A Polaroid in reverse, a photograph mid-develop.
As a traditional fine artist his work exists in the gallery world and on the walls of his collectors yet he has also played the role of commercial illustrator, turning his honest touch of darkness to projects like the Folio Society‘s illustrated edition of ‘The Great Gatsby‘ and the album artwork for the vinyl soundtrack releases of ‘Scanners,’ ‘The Brood,’ and ‘Black Swan‘ from Mondo. It’s in these projects that Connelly’s insight and ability to not only illustrate a narrative but to also capture the internal heart and headspace of a book, film, or piece of music shows the artist as not only a strong storyteller, but also a master interpreter.
‘Umbra’ by Sam Wolfe Connelly
‘Above My Floorboards’ by Sam Wolfe Connelly
‘Penny Squisher’ by Sam Wolfe Connelly
‘Elixir’ by Sam Wolfe Connelly
‘Sleep Will Come’ by Sam Wolfe Connelly
’13 Steps in the Underworld’ by Sam Wolfe Connelly | for Tor.com
‘Scanners’ by Sam Wolfe Connelly | for Mondo
‘The Brood’ by Sam Wolfe Connelly | for Mondo
‘Black Swan’ by Sam Wolfe Connelly | for Mondo
‘Black Swan’ vinyl soundtrack cover by Sam Wolfe Connelly | for Mondo
‘Black Swan’ vinyl soundtrack packaging by Sam Wolfe Connelly | for Mondo
‘The Great Gatsby interior illustration by Sam Wolfe Connelly | for Folio Society
‘The Great Gatsby interior illustration by Sam Wolfe Connelly | for Folio Society
