Samara Shuter Paints Men’s Clothing
The 28-year-old Montreal painter has an eye for color and a good suit.
Samara Shuter is 28 years old and beautiful and doing exactly what she wants to do. The fresh-faced Montreal native paints “portraits” of men’s clothes. Specifically, she paints vibrantly colored suits. The suits don’t contain men, and that’s fine by Shuter, who really, really likes men’s clothing, which makes sense, given that her family works in the textile industry. Growing up surrounded by color swatches, crisp ties, and vast cuts of fabric, Shuter gravitated toward the blazing palettes. When she started painting, it was natural for her to build still life out of what was at hand.
Shuter spends hours perfecting the outline of a lapel, adding details to buttons, crafting the perfect symmetry of a well-constructed tie. She’s not a tailor, but she’s made a career of shaping suits and she sells the canvases to major clients. Her work is hanging in 30 Rock, and several Rolls-Royce and Lamborghini dealerships. She’s also has a project sponsored by—of all companies—Timberland.
“I’ve always been attracted to the symmetry of menswear,” she explains. “The line and color palettes excite me the most. It’s funny to see how things went from grade two to now.”
Samara spent six years producing small films before turning full-time to her fine art. The decision to change paths was easy for her largely because of Facebook. She posted some of the work she’d done in her free time, and just a few hours later, she’d sold her first painting.
“I had never sold anything before,” she explains. “I had this weird soul-searching moment and shortly after, I left my job.”
These days her hobby has turned into a full-time career. She constructs her eye-catching portraits on canvas using acrylics and oils. She works quickly, never spending longer than three weeks with a painting.
“My appreciation for art and the industry has become more layered as the years have gone by,” she says. “Now, I’m definitely looking to expand.”
Who knows? Maybe she’ll get serious and start painting something casual.