Note Type
Antony Hayton, Exhibit DirectorNote
Samuel "Sam" Newton (1948)
Firesky on the St. Lucie River
Oil On Upson Board Circa 1970
Image 24" X 36"
Of the 25 men and one woman that comprised the Florida Highwaymen, only 5 remain, Sam Newton being one of them. He lives near Melbourne Florida on Merritt Island and continues to paint commissioned works. He was one of two Harold Newton brothers to pick up a paintbrush and palette knife to create Florida Landscapes. Sam's style and abilities are very similar and close to that of his older brother Harold. Harold taught him and their other brother Lemuel Newton well, and they were good students.
Mr. Newton prefers not to be known as a Highwaymen artist, but rather an artist on his merit. But he was inducted as a member of the group by the State of Florida who included the 26 Florida Highwaymen artists into the Florida Artists Hall of Fame in 2004. Other esteemed members of the Hall include Jimmy Buffet, Ernest Hemingway, Ray Charles, Tom Petty, Tennessee Williams, Burt Reynolds, and Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings.
"Firesky" paintings are traditional scenes that the Highwaymen created. They were popular and sold well, so they did them over and over, why argue with success? This work is done on Upson Board and was acquired into the collection because it is a mirror image of a similar painting done by Harold Newton. It looks to be a reverse image of his brother's work. The Highwaymen repeated scenes over and over, no two paintings were the same, lighting, mood, color, or time of day, always made the scene appear brand new. It was a technique used by the French Impressionists, but the Highwaymen were untrained artists and probably knew nothing of the French artists. The Highwaymen responded to Mother Nature and what she had to offer, it was intrinsic to their style and became part of their success.