Details

Hubbard Park

999 W Main St
Meriden, CT 06451

Directions

Event Type: Arts/Crafts

Audience: All are welcome

Organizer: Connecticut Forest & Park Association

Event Description

Join New England Trail artist-in-residence Sam Swap for a fun guided fall hike to the historic Castle Craig overlooking the Meriden valley. Enjoy vibrant fall foliage and sweeping views, then dive into a hands-on printmaking workshop.

Sam will introduce the art of wood engraving and relief printing, share a selection of his own prints, and guide you in creating your very own relief print inspired by the season to take home!

  • What to Bring: A sweater or light jacket, water, and anything else you need to stay comfortable during a 2–3 hour hike and workshop.
  • Meeting Location: Lower Hubbard Park entrance, parking lot near Mirror Lake, Meriden, CT

 

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About Sam

Samuel Swap is an illustrator, printmaker, and educator from Connecticut. Born and raised in Ivoryton and now living in Middletown, Sam has lived in the Connecticut River watershed his whole life. Sam aims to shed light on the forgotten faces of nature, our native species, and how we as people interact with the natural world around us. After graduating from the Hartford Art School, he began teaching at Old Lyme’s Florence Griswold Museum and discovered the beautiful naturalist art of the Old Lyme art colony and surrounding artists. Taken aback by their beautiful depictions of the CT landscape, Sam dove headfirst into nature-inspired landscape art. Additionally, inspired by the many illustrators of his childhood like Bill Watterson, Martin Hanford, and James McCaulay, Sam started his own publishing studio called Third Cat Press (aptly named after his beloved cat Chatrois) to self-publish his own children’s books and wood engraving prints. In 2024, he published The ABCs of BATs, an alliterative adventure of nocturnal navigators, to highlight the vast biodiversity amongst his favorite mammals. This summer, Sam will be out on the trail making small plein-air prints of the New England trail. Using crosscut grain hard maple blocks, Sam will be using a method of printmaking called wood engraving, a process used prominently by American graphic artists, allowing for details galore. These prints will build up to a large-scale, detailed map of the NET as it flows through Connecticut and Massachusetts, highlighting towns, species, and the great ecology that lines our states and trails. Along with creating art, Sam will lead multiple plein air painting and printmaking classes so you can learn how to translate the vast beauty of our landscape. You will be able to find Sam on the trail this summer with his inks, paper, wood, and tools, and if you ask nicely, he may even gift you a doodle.