Samuel Swap believes we still have lots of lessons to learn from the mystery and wonder of the biospheres in our own backyard. Finding moments of collective strength and community, resilience and ingenuity, Sam finds allegory from avians and metaphors in mammals to weave intricate illustrations to inspire the next naturalists that will conserve our world.

Samuel Swap (b. 1999) is an printmaker, illustrator, and educator from Connecticut. Featured in the collections of the Florence Griswold Museum, Cooley Gallery, and Springfield Armory National Historic Site, Sam aims to shed light on the often unseen faces of nature, how we interact with the natural world around us and lessons we can learn from it through high detail wood engravings and watercolor and ink illustrations, processes shared by New England naturalist artists for generations. After graduating with a BFA from the Hartford Art School in 2022, Sam started as an educator at the Florence Griswold Museum, while starting his own self publishing outfit Third Cat Press, publishing his first picture book the ABCs of BATs in 2024. In 2025, served as the Artist in Residence of the New England Trail, working with the Connecticut Forest and Parks association and the National Park System to investigate the intersections of natural and anthropogenic through plein air prints, and hold printmaking workshops with hikers and nature lovers all over the trail. In 2026, Sam will be working with the Connecticut River Conservancy to create 36 views of the Connecticut River, from source to sea, to create a childrens book for their 75th anniversary in 2027.