LHS alum trades future in politics for career as an artist

After graduating from Lexington High School in 2020, Sam Andrews moved to Washington, D.C., with his sights set on working in politics after graduating from George Washington University. 

But during his sophomore year, Andrews, who studied political communications and economics at GW, took an art class that turned his professional aspirations on their head. 

“I fell in love with Van Gogh,” he said. “I would look at his work for hours and just be so inspired.” 

He told LexObserver he panicked while working as an intern in politics and realized he did not want to have an office job. He thought to himself, ‘I have to make a change.’

“I’ve come to realize that we’re here on this earth to love and to be loved, and we can’t do that without being our full selves,” said Andrews. “[Painting] helps me become more of who I am and give more of that to other people.”

Andrews moved home to Lexington after graduating from GW in the spring, and in late July, he made the move to pursue painting full-time. Since then, he’s completed 63 oil paintings. 

“Painting is like a love affair,” he said. “You have to just get it out.”

Andrews started selling his oil paintings at Galaray House, a contemporary art gallery with an espresso bar on Massachusetts Ave., in September. He’s had seven paintings on display at the local art gallery, two of which have sold. 

“Sam’s work evokes a sense of natural abundance and vitality. We were drawn to Sam’s thick, expressive brushstrokes, and his interpretation of light,” Ray Ball, owner and co-founder of Galaray House, told LexObserver. “His composition leads the viewer’s eye dynamically with his technique of juxtaposing soft tranquil backdrops and vibrant colors in the foreground. We’ve included a number of Sam’s works in our curated collection because we felt they would resonate with local art collectors.”

In addition to selling his oil paintings at Galaray House, people walk up to Andrews on the sidewalk while he is painting and ask to buy his work or commission him to make something specific for them.

“It happens a lot,” he said. “My rule is, if I would [paint] something anyway, to make me better, and they know it’s going to be my style, then I’ll do it, because I want my artistic integrity to be intact.”

Andrews’ work is inspired by late 19th and early 20th century artists, especially Vincent van Gogh. He enjoys replicating the pointallism technique, a painting method that involves applying small dots of color to a canvas to create an image, that Van Gogh often used.

Akin to the famous Dutch painter, Andrews prefers to paint outside. You may have seen him if you’ve traveled up Mass. Ave. between 10 am and 3 pm during the week — that’s when Andrews is usually behind his canvas. 

But Andrews doesn’t just paint scenes of Mass. Ave. or buildings around town. He’ll paint whatever he feels drawn to so he can be “as complete of an artist as [he] can,” he said.  

“I just want to…get better and become more unique, more myself — that’s my main goal,” said Andrews. “I’ve done portraits, mostly self-portraits lately, I’ve done lots in nature, lots of architecture…my thing is to be looking at the subject and make my interpretation of it infused with however I feel about it.”

In the short term, Andrews’ goal is to continue to improve as a painter. In the long term, he hopes to become an artist who doesn’t have to rely on commissions to make money, but that people will want to buy wherever he chooses to make because he made it. 

“I want to do something to people, I want people to look forward to the next thing that I make, and want it to be in their house,” he said. “I want to be a great painter and a great artist eventually, and hopefully that does something good for the world or for the people who like whatever kind of energy or vibe is in my work — so hopefully if I get better other people will benefit from that in some way.”

You can see Andrews’ full collection of oil paintings on his website.