Innovative Contemporary Realist Paintings
Sam Foley was born in 1977 in Wellington and moved to Dunedin at the age of four. He attended Logan Park High School where he received top prizes for painting, printmaking, graphics and design, and art history.
In 1994 Foley was accepted into the Otago Polytechnic School of Art, where under the tutelage of artist/teacher Pat Altman he pursued the discipline of realist portraiture. Foley graduated in 1998 with a Bachelor of Fine Art.
Shortly after leaving art school Foley moved to Auckland. In 1999 he had his first solo show at Chiaroscuro Gallery, where he had two more solo shows in 2000 and 2001. Whilst in Auckland he was also a formative member of the artist collective CITE, which was situated in a key location off Ponsonby Rd. At CITE, Foley exhibited in a number of group shows and also fulfilled the role of co-director at this artist run space.
In 2003 Foley moved to Sydney. He produced a series of works based on the Sydney coastline, which were exhibited at Soho Gallery in 2004.
After returning to Dunedin, Foley exhibited a large body of work at the Temple Gallery. This exhibition focused on the Town Belt of Dunedin, a strip of native forest that was planted when the city was founded. This exhibition was received which much public and critical praise.
Foley has work held in major public collections – the N.S.W. Historic Houses Trust, the University of Otago, The Wallace Trust in Auckland, and the Dunedin International Airport to name a few. His work is also held in private collections in New Zealand, Australia and the USA. He has been an artist in residence at Puzzling World (acclaimed tourist attraction) in Wanaka, where he completed a renowned and much photographed diorama mural on commission. In 2003 he was presented the Peoples' Choice Award at the Cleveland Art Awards, for his work, "Sonata at Sandfly Bay", and again in 2005 for his nocturnal rendition of the “Natural History Unit Building Facade”. In 2006 his painting “Pathway at Night” was judged highly commended by Peter Siddell at the Parklane Art Awards held in Auckland.
Foley is currently based in Dunedin and works from his Dowling Street studio.
To view all artworks visit exhibit page and click 'View all artworks' subject line lower margin of page.
