A Creative Heart: A Heartfelt Tribute to Sam Haskins

from

An Adoring, Friend, Artist and Art Collector

The world has lost the most amazing creator of beauty.

A man so selfless with his time and a man so creative with his beauty.

We have lost a legend. A man so connected to what is beautiful and what is beauty.

I was blessed with one of the most amazing days of my life with Sam that I will treasure forever.  During his last trip to NYC I spent hours with him at the Milk Gallery at his exhibition. I write this to share how he has inspired me. How he touched me. The energy transfer that occurred was simply electric. The conversation we shared was just electric. Talking about fashion, art and life for hours.  I asked him a million questions and he answered every one of them. His smile beamed as we walked the gallery together. He showed me the pieces he loved in the exhibition. There were three. I bought 2.  We walked through the entire exhibit together one on one. 

A man with such creative influences which were fueled by an interest in magic tricks, kite making, drawing and the circus. Sam was a talented athlete in his youth.  He excelled in hurdling and even trained with a circus. A circus job that resulting in a job offer as a trapeze catcher.  I firmly believe that the skills early in life that Sam acquired as a trapeze catcher helped him create a lifetime of beauty for the world filled with amazement. Sam was the most creative physical photographer ever to touch this earth.

The grueling demands of a trapeze artist gave a proportion and strength beyond the norm in his photography. The catcher must spend a good proportion of his time on the trapeze hanging upside down, and when he is not, he can only sit on the trapeze bar, which is very hard and not kind on the buttocks.  With all of the glorious places Sam went to as a fashion photographer, he clearly had to be hanging from a trapeze to get some of the photos he took.

Sam’s innate ability to understand the human body and its limitations and abilities, was equal to that of a trapeze artist.  As an artist he understood how to take the shot to the next level. He always went to the next level.

Timing is crucial. Sam understood this and his photography demonstrated this. We need to take the time to recognize not only for what Sam did for us, but also for his personality and style. There are not enough words to describe Sam as the man was so selfless and creative.  His loss is recognized as the loss of a distinct individual.

The healing we all will have now for this great man will forever be a part of a loving and sincere effort.  We can continue to find comfort in the glorious works of art we own as collectors to help us mourn the loss of this great artist.

One of the pieces I own is at the beginning of this dedication. A piece that has such a grand story behind it. Sam shared this story with me on his last trip to NYC. The lovely red heart in the work is a hand carved wooden heart made by Sam. This demonstrates a lovely heart, one that is not broken.  One that is solid. This solid heart brings me comfort in a time when my heart feels broken from the loss of Sam. The ladder next to the heart, is the ladder our Sam used this year to climb to a new place.  A place where he can now take the ultimate photo with no restriction. This will be the most beautiful photo he has ever taken. We will not get to see it until we meet Sam again. The angel Sam above us forever will be snapping photos of us secretly for his portfolio. So always be aware and be beautiful for Sam will be watching.

Much love and heartfelt condolences to Alida, Ludwig, and Konrad

Sincerely yours,

Tammy Duffy, NYC

Sam signing my books in Sept