About Sam Dobrow
The Artist
Sam Dobrow is an entrepreneur and an award winning contemporary photographic artist who lives and works in the artist village of Coconut Grove, Florida. His works can be found in museums and private collections. Sam’s artwork begins in the camera and evolves into images with intensely beautiful constructs amplified by his emotions and perceptions of the world and its inhabitants. Whether it is a street scene, portrait or figurative work, Sam captures beauty by presenting subjects shaped by light, framed by strong graphical elements, and emotionally supercharged by the thoughtful application of color.
Sam Dobrow continues to push the limits of photographic art through digital manipulation of his images. In addition to classic fine art photography, Sam manipulates and combines his photographs into abstract and surreal compositions creating altered realities, parallel universes, and hallucinogenic visions. He maintains the photo-realism of the final image to magnify its visual impact upon the imagination. Sam’s digital manipulation of photography is inspired by the works of Jerry Uelsmann and influenced by his attraction to Impressionist and Surrealist artists, most notably Vincent Van Gogh and Salvador Dali as well as his fascination with science fiction and outer space.
According to Sam, the art of photography begins with a feeling, followed by seeing through the camera with anticipation, and ultimately developing an image that speaks to that feeling.
Artist Statement
Photography has always been my voice to the world, a way to articulate the feelings that cannot otherwise be communicated with the spoken word. When I look through the lens of the camera, I see the world in a way that no other person can at that exact moment. As the image reaches my brain, it becomes something exquisitely beautiful. I squeeze the shutter and capture the moment. Later, in the darkroom, that image comes to life for all to see.
My art begins with all my senses taking in the world around me. Slowly I turn down the noise and absorb the beauty and serenity. I find myself moving through space disassociated from time seeking out a special moment to capture for perpetuity. When that moment arrives, I frame the scene and take a slice of time and space. Back in the digital darkroom, I develop that image with all the intensity of the moment unveiling the experience as I see it with my spiritual being. I am not afraid to push the limits of photography to create digital art that may have an inarticulate meaning.
As I process my images, I embed them with my vision, my interpretation, my experience. Sometimes this is as simple as creating a monochromatic print to emphasize light, lines, forms, space and time that are only revealed by the absence of color. Other times, I may emphasize color or abstract the image with textures to give a calm, painterly effect similar to those of the Impressionist style of painting. I may experiment with extreme manipulations of the camera image to create a surreal vision that only I can conjure up from deep within my subconscious. Regardless of the techniques applied, my objective is to expose the world to a vision of beauty, fantasy, sensuality and eroticism. That is my voice.
Career Background
Prior to becoming a full-time artist, Sam Dobrow worked in a variety of leadership roles in the Information Technology industry. He has implemented enterprise software at Fortune 500 companies, sold and managed IT consulting engagements, and provided executive search services to the world’s largest consulting companies. Sam has been a motivational speaker and career coach to executives in career transition. He has developed and presented multi-day professional workshops in collaboration with not-for-profit organizations and has taught real-world economics to high school students through Junior Achievement. Sam has served as the Technology Director on the board of his homeowner’s association in Coconut Grove since 2012.
Education
Sam began studying and practicing fine art photography in high school. His formal education includes an MBA from the University of Tennessee and a BSBA in Economics from the University of Florida. At the University of Florida, Sam’s photography was influenced by the surreal work of Photography Department head, Jerry Uelsmann. With the advent of digital photography, Sam decided to upgrade his photography skills. He returned to university studies and completed the core curriculum for a Bachelor of Fine Art in Photography at The Art Institute of Atlanta.
Process
Sam’s works are mastered as a color image then converted to a digital black and white image emulating certain nostalgic films and papers. The black and white image is then mastered, carefully tending to the details of the zone system to create a luminosity mask. Sam then overlays the color image with the luminosity mask giving his artwork a nostalgic, black and white film-like grain with the richness and emotional energy of color. Once Sam has mastered the image, he works with specialty labs using a color-managed workflow to print the image which is then personally inspected and signed before it is face-mounted to acrylic glass and optionally framed. A serialized Certificate of Authenticity is signed and provided with each fine art print.
The Works of Art
Sam’s original artwork is produced on modern media including giclée prints face mounted on acrylic, dye sublimation onto aluminum, and chromogenic prints. Sam Dobrow recently began producing NFT Art, including high resolution animations from the Surreality Collection. Sam has conceptualized, designed, produced, and self-published several fine art photography books showcasing his written and photographic work.
Representation
Sam’s artwork is represented and exhibited nationally and internationally by:
Exhibits
Group Exhibition, Artifact Gallery NYC, (December 2023)
Group Exhibition, Grimandi Art Gallery, NYC (November 2023)
Yukyung Art Museum, Geoje, S. Korea, Permanent Collection, “Grounded Angel” (Nov 2022)
World Art Dubai – Dubai, UAE – NFT Exhibition (March 2022)
Kcüll Artist Cooperative – Coconut Grove, FL (solo Feb – Mar 2021)
Atlanta Celebrates Photography – Semiweekly Artist Talk (Oct 2020)
Venice Biennale, Galleria d’Arte Spazio Tempo – Italy (June 2019)
ArtExpo – New York City (April 4-8 2019)
The Gallery @ Coconut Grove Arts Festival, Miami, FL (solo May 24, 2018)
Confidante – Miami Beach, FL (solo exhibit April 5 – May 31, 2018)
Spectrum Miami – Miami, FL – (December 2017)
Saphira & Ventura Gallery – Midtown, New York, NY (November 2017)
Galerie Artitude – Paris, France (October 2017)
Ritz Carlton Residences – Coconut Grove, FL (April 2017)
Sonesta – Coconut Grove Arts Festival (solo exhibit – February 2017)
Art Expo NY – New York, NY (February 2017)
Miami Art Deco Weekend (2014)
Emerging Art Scene Gallery, Atlanta, GA (solo exhibit | Aug – Sep 2011)
Atlanta Celebrates Photography Book Shows (2009, 2010, 2011)
Atlanta Photography Exhibit (multiple shows)
Best of Atlanta Photographer’s Guild Show
Awards and Juried Shows
Showcase Artist, Exhibizone | Circles, Squares, Triangles 2024 (December 2023)
18th Annual Black & White Spider Awards | Six (6) Awards (November 2023)
Cash Grant Recipient, Biafarin, Ontario, Canada (September 2023)
Featured Artist, Current Masters Volume 6, Worldwide Art Books (January 2023)
Judge (Photography, Digital Art): Coconut Grove Arts Festival (February 2022)
Black & White Spider Awards, NUDE | “Organic Geometry” (November 2021)
ArteryNYC, Spotlight Interview (June 2021)
Epson International Pano Awards, Bronze Award (July 2020)
Artprenuer, First Prize Photography, “A Black and White Affair” (June 2020)
ArtTour Magazine, “Artist of the Decade”, (Winter 2020)
Contrive Photography Exhibition, d’Art Center, Norfolk, VA (Sept 2019)
Judge (Photography): Coconut Grove Arts Festival (February 2019)
Superfine! (Art Basel Miami), Miami Beach, FL (2018)
AVA Gallery – Carrousel du Louvre, Paris, France (2017)
Judge: Coconut Grove Arts Festival (2016)
Spectrum Miami (solo – 2016)
“Get That Shot” Book Feature, Editors of Popular Photography Magazine (2011)
Atlanta Celebrates Photography (ACP) Portfolio Review (2010)
Atlanta Regional Commission – Atlanta Now Winner (2008)
Atlanta Photography Group (Feb 29 – Apr 12, 2008)
Nude Nite Orlando (2008)
Nude Nite Tampa (2008)
Popular Photography Magazine (April 2008)
University of Florida Photography Contest – 2nd Place (1976)