Sam Wood
Website: http://samwood.work
Instagram: @samwood.work
Sam Wood is an artist living and working in London. His work tends to deal with absence and voids, he depicts empty rooms and unpeopled spaces and increasingly abstracted compositions that try to get at the idea of something missing or about to happen. Since studying fine art at Central St Martin's he has shown his work in solo shows and as part of group exhibitions as well as working with brands and designers who have invited him to collaborate. He have been working closely with David Collins Studio for the last three years producing illustrations for them in collaboration with writers, designers and other artists. Most recently he has produced original works for the new shoe departments at Harrods and as part of the studio's 35th anniversary celebrations.
What is your idea of perfect happiness?: Room service breakfast in bed with my husband, the paper, a Bloody Mary.
Which living person do you most admire?: My Parents
What is your greatest extravagance?: Dining. Especially during lockdown, I process stress with cooking and dining and in the absence of bars and restaurants my tastes have remained the same. Getting oysters to go with your Albariño for a Tuesday lunch in Tottenham can be murder.
What is your current state of mind?: Howard Hodgkin
What do you consider the most overrated virtue?: Temperance
Which words or phrases do you most overuse?: Delighted, adore, cute
Which talent would you most like to have?: Patience
If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?: I would worry less
What do you consider your greatest achievement?: Feeling comfortable calling myself an artist
If you were to die and come back as a person or a thing, what would it be?: A chair
Where would you most like to live?: London
What is your most treasured possession?: I am obsessed with things, so I have a few...I was given a piece of the Albert Memorial by a friend for my 30th Birthday thats near the top, that and my grandfather's collection of cameras.
What is your favorite occupation?: Painting
What is your most marked characteristic?: Indulgence
What do you most value in your friends?: Honesty
Who are your favorite writers?: John Steinbeck, Kaveh Akbar, Geoffrey Chaucer, Allen Ginsberg, Dorris Lessing, Maya Angelou, Jay Griffiths, AA Gill, Alan Hollinghurst, Christopher Isherwood, Virginia Woolf, Olivia Laing, Harold Pinter.
Who is your hero of fiction?: Gilgamesh
Which historical figure do you most identify with?: Vivian Maier
Who are your heroes in real life?: My Parents, Howard Hodgkin, Anselm Kiefer, all the founding members of the Gay Liberation Front, Francis Mallmann, my husband.
What is it that you most dislike?: Dishonesty
What is your greatest regret?: Not going to see Robyn in concert in London 2018; literally everyone I know was there, my friend bought me a ticket and because of mental health issues I didn't go. They still berate me for it.
What is your motto?: Know yourself better