Paintings and Drawings:

As mentioned in my bio, I’ve had no formal training in fine art and for the most part, learned by trial and error. Anyone who has ever tried to draw something and was disappointed when the result fell far short of the subject, knows how daunting it can be to approach art unarmed. You are David without a slingshot and Goliath is a beast with the head of every artist who lived before you growing from his shoulders.        
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All images are copyrighted © 2015 by Samuel DiTullo.
The use of any image from this site is prohibited unless prior written permission from the artist is obtained.

However, as a young artist, I aspired to paint like Dali with the passion of Van Gogh…a tough bill to fill. As I matured I began to realize that holding a full time job and only doing art as I could find the time might mean I’d never master anything. I assume every aspiring artist comes to a point where they must decide whether or not to continue to pursue something that takes up so much time, energy, and passion, without reward or compensation. And when I reached that point, I had an awakening.

I didn’t have to be the master of anything. I just had to make the best art I could with what I had to work with.

I tried every medium. When I got in over my head, I’d often salvage a piece I was ready to destroy by introducing a different medium to mask the weak spots. Through this process I’ve found certain media, when combined, produce an effect that is pleasant to my eye and this becomes part of my toolbox. Thus many of my pieces are labeled mixed-media. If that is a problem for purists, I have no apology.

There is a moment that occurs nearly every time I sit down in front of a blank sheet of paper or fresh canvas, when I think, how the hell am I going to do this? Where do I begin? How can I use this brush to smear these daubs of paint onto this space in a way that will communicate with my fellow human beings? Next thing I’m conscious of is the pencil in my hand, sketching out rough outlines until the proportions seem right. I may spend days making an elaborate pen and ink drawing. Sometimes I’m satisfied with this alone. But more often I wonder how they will look in color. So I paint them, until the ink is no longer visible.

In the long run, I developed my own little arsenal of methods and techniques to battle that "Goliath". They grew out of the desire to mask what I perceived as shortcomings but, in fact, add up to what it is that makes my work original and honest: I am the master of nothing. I don’t belong to any school, movement, guild, or group. I am not faithful to any genre, subject matter, or influences.

I just want to take what is in my head and get it down to the best of my ability. To me that’s what art is really about.