Unveiling spotlights a recently completed portrait commission or figurative work from some of the best and most active members of the Portrait Society of America. This month Krystle Stricklin, guest writer for the Portrait Society, interviewed Samuel Walter about a recently completed painting in his Portraits of New Haven series.

Unveiling

Samuel Walter: Portraits of New Haven

By Krystle Stricklin

Connecticut-based artist, Samuel Walter recently completed a new portrait, Britt’s Winter, as part of his ongoing series, Portraits of New Haven. Last year, Walter was awarded a 2nd place honor in the Portrait Society’s inaugural Future Generations Competition, which is dedicated to showcasing the work of young artists. Walter began his art education at an early age under the tutelage of John McCormick, a Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts graduate and close family friend. After studying art with McCormick from first through 12th grade, Walter went on to receive degrees in music from Haverford College and Yale University. “I’m extremely thankful for the rigorous and structured art training John gave me during those twelve years,” says the artist. “The endless value exercises and perspective studies were a bit tedious when I was 6 years old, but the knowledge John imparted has proved invaluable.” On his transition from music back to visual arts, Walter explains, “The semester before I started at Yale, I spent a lot of time painting because I thought it would be the last time I could devote that much effort to visual arts. After I started my master’s degree, I began spending almost every evening at my easel, even after practicing for hours at the music building. I found myself spending more and more time painting, and less and less time on my cello practice. Eventually, I made the choice to shift from a career in symphony orchestra to a career in the visual arts.” Samuel Walter, Britt’s Winter, oil on canvas, 24 x 30"

Britt’s Winter is a tender portrait of a stranger-turned-friend, whom Walter met in New Haven. “I met Britt through a mutual friend,” he recounts. “At the time Britt was looking for a tenant, and I was looking for housing. I didn’t end up living in his apartment, but we immediately struck up a friendship over a shared passion for music, particularly Bach’s instrumental works and old Baptist hymns.” Walter quickly learned that Britt had been a professor at Wesleyan College and a church organist, but due to arthritis he was forced to retire. He also learned that Britt’s arthritis hampered his ability to play the organ and harpsichord and made it difficult to get around the city. As a result, Britt was under a great deal of stress when they first met. “When I began working on the composition, I didn’t have a specific mood or story I wanted to get across,” Walter says. “However, as I began to paint his likeness, I realized I was capturing a sense of world-weariness and melancholy. I tried to communicate feelings associated with both seasonal winter and the winter of someone’s life.” To achieve this, Walter mirrored the pale blues and grays of the bleak outdoors in the blues in Britt’s suit and his melancholy gaze.

Currently, Walter is working on several more portraits for his New Haven series. “With this series,” he said, “I’m trying to give dignity to individuals often overlooked in the city, by not only painting their portrait, but also listening and sharing their stories.” Later this year, Walter will also begin work on a large-scale landscape painting in the style of the Hudson River School, and plans to travel out West to paint plein air sketches in preparation for the final composition.