Dr. Sam Lam Art

Ok, that is not the name for it but I don’t really have a name for this one.  It is however one of my favorite pieces, and it is inspired by the work of Twombly in which he creates chalkboard-like paintings.  I used a swirly charcoal gray acrylic as the background with a yellow border on the sides of the canvas. I then used oil pastels to create the chalky lines and the yellow and silver splotches.  Again, the presence of painterly handfeel and the rigidity of the geometric pattern is a repeated hallmark in my work.  I just love that combination!  I think I am going to steal this one for my condo!  Right now it is sitting upstairs in a vacant office.  Ouch!

Linoleum Print on Canvas Triptych by Dr. Sam Lam

I bought these three canvases then decided I was sick of painting and only wanted to do paper drawings.  After many many drawings, I started to do print work using linoleum.  I then thought that I could somehow create a linoleum print onto canvas.  That took some finagling.  I first realized that the linoleum block that I had was too small to fit so I then found out that I could use it to cover exactly 1/4th the size of the canvas.  By doing so I inverted the block to create various patterns on each canvas.  By making an expanding grid pattern on the linoleum I could have a line pattern that radiated toward greater width in one canvas and the reverse in the adjacent canvas.  In order to transfer the ink from the linoleum to the canvas, I had to jerry rig two cardboard pieces with a ton of chopsticks between them so that the ink roller would not bend into the canvas during rolling.  Somehow it all worked out!  I love the use of orange both because it goes well with both blue and yellow but also because it adds complexity since it is not the expected primary color of red that would normally be paired with yellow and blue.  I also like the purple blue color that is truly unique.  Again the juxtaposition of rigidity and handfeel is a pleasant one for me and a recurrent theme in many of my later works.

Magenta Painting by Dr. Samuel Lam

This acrylic painting that measures 4′ x 4′ is perhaps the most explicit homage to Ellsworth Kelly in its geometric purity and use of bright colors.  However, the work is all mine, and I love the interplay of magenta, yellow, and green.  Somehow those 3 colors really go well together and certainly keeps the viewer awake!  By the way, I have not put all of my paintings on this website.  There would be too many (as perhaps there already are).  I just selected many that would show different media and different stages in my evolution as an artist.  The painting currently hangs inside the salon’s break room.

Sol I and II Paintings by Dr. Sam Lam

As discussed in my inspiration section, Sol Lewitt as an artist has had a profound influence in my work, perhaps more than any other single artist.  These paintings were done by using thinned down watercolor pieces for Sol II and regular acrylic paint for Sol I.  They hang in the women and men’s bathrooms upstairs, respectively.

This painting was originally in my salon but was moved upstairs when we needed to move promotional photos into that space.  The painting may look Mondrian-like, but this painting is an homage to one of my favorite artists, Ellsworth Kelly.  (Take a look at my inspiration section of this website for more information on Kelly.)

This painting was designed by digitally projecting the image onto the canvas and then using a free hand to draw the radial spokes.  That combination affords both the painterly touch that makes it appear handmade but the rigidity of a pattern that unifies the four pieces and creates a more uniform visual appeal.  This tetraptych is situated along the hallway of the first floor between my spa and salon.  My art fans will recognize the presence of tone on tone colors that I love to use!

This painting was designed with the focal point being the lush pearl waves that punctuate the canvas.  They were made by mixing pearl acrylic paint, gel gloss to add further sheen, and molding gel to add heft and three-dimensionality.  This site-specific work was designed to be in the salon’s entrance where the viewer would be looking at it on edge with the sun coming through a window from the other side, making the light interplay across the work more dramatic and also unique for different times of the day, different weather conditions, and different seasons.

Ok, the title of this painting also is stolen from a movie title.  This one may be a bit more obscure.  It is a 1966 black-and-white and risqué Jean-Luc Goddard film that typifies the French new wave style.  Hey, come on I was a modern European history major with a focus on French and British history, and my salon is primarily French!  As you can see, the colors I chose for the one on the left is more masculine (my interpretation of masculine) and the one on the right is more feminine (again my artistic rendition of this thought).  You will find this painting in my salon to the left of the reception desk.

Yes, I stole the name from the 1960 care-free Fellini film by the same name.  This fun painting of tone on tone flowers stands upstairs in front of Dr. Ku’s office.  This is a lively piece that is not very serious but fun and playful, as I am!  Look vertically up and down if you want to see the family of colors I used.

Charcoal Line Drawing by Dr. Samuel Lam

This is one of my favorite pieces of art.  It currently hangs in the reception area of AVC upstairs.  It is a charcoal piece on cold-pressed watercolor paper that expresses a sinuous line that is both graphically clean but not smudge-free.  I love the hint of painterliness that invades the sense of order.  I love that juxtaposition!  It is at once organic and representational as well as abstract.

Charcoal Drawing