Samuel Swap is an illustrator, printmaker, and educator based out of Middletown, CT. Drawing from his past years developing a love for the outdoor world at his local nature camp, Sam creates illustrations, books, prints and more that try to connect the bridges between our natural and anthropogenic worlds. Since graduating with a degree in illustration from the Hartford Art School in 2022, Sam has been working tirelessly to shed light on the forgotten faces that allow our ecosystem and biosphere to be so magnificent. Sam wants his work to beg the question; “How do we interact with nature, and how does it interact with us?” Whether it be viewing a giant Gharial specimen in the halls of the Yale Peabody, or Turkey Vultures using our electricity towers to dry their wings after rain, Sam chooses to highlight scenes of quiet beauty, what would often go unnoticed.
In 2024, Sam began Third Cat Press, aptly named after his cat, Chatrois, an independent publishing mechanism to self publish his picture books. The ABCs of BATs was first, an alliterative alphabet adventure of Sam’s favorite nocturnal navigators highlighting the unbelievable diversity that comes in one species. In 2025, Sam decided to see how far he could take one story, publishing The Snail With a Trail That Fell Off the Rails.
Sam continues to teach at the Florence Griswold Museum in Old Lyme, CT. If you hike along the New England Trail this summer, you will be able to find Sam making art on the trail as its official 2025 Artist in Residence, he may even give you a little doodle if you ask nicely.