Note
Samuel "Sam" Newton (1948 - )
Rio Mar
Oil on Masonite circa 1995
Image size 24" X 36"
Sam Newton began painting as a teenager, taught by his elder brother Harold Newton, who was 14 years his senior. Harold's influence was significant, as is evident in Sam's style, which closely emulates that of his older brother. Newton continues to paint commissioned works at his home on Merritt Island. However, he would rather not be known as a Highwaymen but rather an artist in his own right, explaining that his brother Harold passed away before there was a group of painters called the Highwaymen, so thinking of the painters as a collective doesn't make sense. Sam Newton is renowned as one of the group's most accomplished and adept artists. He supported himself and his family throughout his life with his painting.
This beach scene is a traditional Highwaymen classic that is a popular and guaranteed seller known as a "Rio Mar". It is one of the group's most popular types of paintings and one that the Highwaymen have been painting since their early beginnings. Rio Mar is an actual location in Vero Beach. Once an untouched stretch of Atlantic beach, the site has changed drastically; high-rise condos and a golf course now dominate the beach. These "Rio Mars" are emotively appealing because everyone loves the beach! In this exquisite rendition, Newton displays his virtuosity with softly muted pastel pinks, lavenders, and various hues of green and blue; as the wind blows through the palms, we can almost feel the ocean's spray upon our face—a timelessly idyllic Highwaymen scene.