Sam Dodwell

1909 - 1990

Sam was one of our very first exhibitors when we opened Mid Cornwall Galleries back in June 1980. He helped set up most of the exhibitions and was a very dear friend of ours. After he died in December 1990, we dedicated one of our galleries to his memory.

He painted in a wide range of media and had begun as a child. During the Second World War, because of the shortage of materials, he used ink for his drawings. His philosophy owed much to Cézanne and subsequent cubist development. He believed that a painter’s work was a projection of his personality. He had little interest in subject of its own sake, but used it as a springboard for creativity.

Sam had exhibited his work at most of the major London Open Exhibitions including: Royal Academy, Royal Society of British Artists, Royal Society of Portrait Painters and the Royal Institute of Painters in Watercolour (of which he was an elected member). He also had many solo shows throughout the world. Much of his work is in private collections in the UK, USA and the Middle East. His many commissions included large sunflower paintings for the Imperial Hotel, Torquay, a mural for the American Chamber of Commerce in London and numerous portraits.