Sam Ezell
Sam Ezell is one of the nicest folks anyone could share a town with. You can always count on him to help out a neighbor or a stranger. He works full-time handling maintenance at the Daniel Boone Village shopping center where he has a little studio with fancy birdhouses out front. You might also see his panel truck covered with bright folk art paintings and Sam’s phone number on a nearby roadside.
When folk art fans and collectors around the country think of Hillsborough, NC, they most likely think of Sam Ezell. He is a featured and popular artist at the prestigious Kentuck Festival of the Arts in Northport, AL, held every October.
Sam did not consider himself an artist and never intended to become one until he promised a friend he would give painting a try. Everyone knows that Sam Ezell keeps his promises! Once he started to paint, he was surprised how much he enjoyed doing it. Now he says he likes it more than fishing. Sam paints just for fun, in his spare time, and his only goal is to make you smile.
Sam found a primitive style using bright colors to make joyful paintings. The images came directly from his imagination, influenced by amusing memories of small-town life. People are dressed up and having fun. Skies are blue, the sun is shining, birds have houses, and chickens come in lots of colors. Condiments have their own sense of pride. Flowers spring from pots and vases. 
In 2014 Sam began a series of paintings depicting some of the many historic buildings in his hometown of Hillsborough, NC, which debuted at the Orange County Library in 2015. These were the first paintings he had ever done using real subjects as a guide.
More recently, Sam developed difficulty with his eyesight and worried that he might have to give up painting. Straining to see the details of his smaller paintings, he found larger canvases much easier to work with. He let his imagination lead him to creating abstract paintings composed of simple shapes and bright colors. These new paintings are cheerful and fun, like all of Sam’s art, and he is very happy artist once again. 

Hillsborough, NC
WATCH "SAM"
a short film about Sam Ezell
by Justin Wallace

Watch it here or follow the link below:
Hillsborough Chamber of Commerce on YouTube
BEACH CRAB
20" x 16"
acrylic on canvas
not framed
$200
CAPE LOOKOUT
20" x 24.5"
acrylic on wooden board
framed by artist
$225
ALEXANDER DICKSON HOUSE
(VISITORS CENTER)
20.25" x 24.5" framed size
acrylic on 16"x20"canvas
in reused natural wood frame
SOLD
FIVE FLOWERS
 IN A RED POT
20" x 26"
acrylic on canvas
in artist's custom frame
$250
ABSTRACT BLUE DOT
24" x 36"
acrylic on canvas
not framed
SOLD
BLUE YARD DOG
20" x 16"
acrylic on canvas
not framed
$200
PURPLE CHICKEN
20" x 16"
acrylic on canvas
not framed
$200

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BIG BIRD
16" x 20"
acrylic on canvas
not framed
SOLD
ABSTRACT GREY DOT
19" x 25"
acrylic on canvas
narrow wood frame
 by artist
$300
ABSTRACT ORANGE DOT
19" x 25"
acrylic on canvas
narrow wood frame
 by artist
$300
THREE FLOWERS
IN A TALL VASE
22" x 26"
acrylic on canvas
in artist's custom frame
$250
FIVE FLOWERS
 IN A YELLOW POT
22" x 26"
acrylic on canvas
in artist's custom frame
$250
THREE FLOWERS
 IN A WHITE BOWL
22" x 26"
acrylic on canvas
in artist's custom frame
$250
BELLEVUE
20" x 16"
acrylic on canvas
not framed
SOLD
GOING TO SCHOOL
25" x 17"
acrylic on wood
in artist's custom frame
$250
KILROY NOW GONE
46" x 36"
acrylic on wood
in artist's custom frame
*please check availability*
FIFTEEN RED FLOWERS
20" x 24"
acrylic on wood
in artist's custom frame
$250
NINE RED TULIPS
16" x 20"
acrylic on wood
in artist's custom frame
$225
ABSTRACT FLOWER POT
24" x 36"
acrylic on canvas
not framed
$400