O.L. Samuels
(b. 1931) Florida
"Simply Iconic"
September 2 - October 3, 2011
Artist Reception: Friday, September 2nd; 8-11 PM
O.L. "Geech" Samuels was born in Georgia in 1931. His father was West Indian and took his wife's name to become a U.S. citizen. Samuels left home at the age of 8 to work as a pineraker on Georgia farms, and, later, for the railroad. He traveled to Florida and then to New York, where he boxed professionally as a middleweight. Samuels has had many near misses with death: his home was dynamited after he complained to the cops about drug-dealing in the neighborhood; he was knifed; and, in 1982, while working as a tree surgeon, he was hit in the head by a swinging trunk. He barely survived that event and was confined to a wheelchair. Samuels fell into a deep depression. The words his great great grandmother, a freed slave, told him long ago finally pulled him out of his sadness. She told him that when a person became sad he could carve on a spool and it would help him heal. Samuels took her advice and picked up some wood and started carving. Although he is colorblind, he paints his carvings and says the colors seem to match up. He combines paint, glitter, sawdust, and glue into a secret formula, which he warms on the stove, and applies to his wood sculptures. Samuels explains, "They ask me why I use so many colors and I say I want to be sure I get the right one."
"How many times have I escaped death? I think it was 36 times," said Samuels. "God is keeping me alive for some reason." Samuels will often carve on a piece for months, improving it to his satisfaction. He'll put something aside and start another project, coming back to the first with renewed energy. His commitment often keeps him awake through the night, working on his projects.
Samuels' unique artwork is in a number of important collections including the Smithsonian American Art Museum.
Contact Billy Shire or Gallery Director Matt Kennedy for availability and purchase info: (323) 547-3227
