Samuel Fein

(b.1953; resides Northfield, IL)

Samuel Fein explores subtle transformations of color and composition in two series of Cibachrome prints. Both utilize a circular element, in many ways reminiscent of a specimen tray, at the center of an otherwise monochromatic page. The first series has an abstract and dreamy quality, with colors bleeding into each other broken up by a gauzy fine-mesh texture. The second resembles the embryonic development of an identifiable creature. The creamy smooth color transitions and flawless detail of these Cibachrome prints is a result of the 8-by-10 inch transparencies used to print them. They are accompanied by a hand-constructed wood and metal box built especially for their display.

Fein received a BFA from The School of The Art Institute of Chicago (1975). His work is held in the collections of The Art Institute of Chicago, The Center for Creative Photography at The University of Arizona, The Illinois State Museum, LaSalle Bank, and The Milwaukee Art Museum.