Samuel Swap is an Illustrator, Printmaker, and Educator from Essex, CT, and is obsessed with all and every form of the line. Sam draws on his love for the natural world to communicate the bountiful wonders biodiversity has to offer us even in our small enclave of the world. Drawing from the worlds that filled his imagination as a child, from the books of Walter Whick’s ISPY, to Bill Watterson’s Calvin And Hobbes, Sam’s busy drawings try to highlight the unknown within our natural world, to reignite that feeling of childlike discovery with every new detail and flip of the page.

After growing up in Essex and attending Valley Regional High, Sam took a keen interest in photography and design, following in his father’s footsteps. Teaching at Bushy Hill Nature Center, Sam found he had a keen ability to communicate and translate the world around him for younger generations, and while pursuing photography, started doodling on the side. However, After attending the Hartford Art School, Sam fell in love with the art of illustration. Combining his favorite worlds of art, communication, and education, Sam graduated with a degree in Illustration in 2022. After graduating, Sam started teaching art as an educator at Old Lyme’s Florence Griswold Museum. His work can be found in the Florence Griswold Collection, as well as the Cooley Gallery in Old Lyme.

Recently, Sam decided to start his own publishing house, Third Cat Press (named after his adopted cat, ChaTrois), to publish his own children’s books and stories. Sam’s work is currently exhibited at Spectrum Gallery in Centerbrook, Connecticut.