Pet Sematary – Entertainment Weekly 2020

Robert Sammelin’s image, made for Entertainment Weekly, is an eerie scene rendered in brooding purples and blues. It's a world of shadows where a figure, perhaps a caretaker or a gravedigger, stands with a shovel amidst simple wooden grave markers. I can imagine Sammelin building up this scene, one careful mark at a time. First, maybe mapping out the composition, then layering in those cool colors to create a heavy atmosphere. The way the light filters through the trees, hitting the figure's face just so, suggests a narrative, a story unfolding. And that Ramones t-shirt? It throws you off, right? The crosses feel hastily made, almost child-like, in contrast with the carefully rendered figure. What is buried here? I wonder if Sammelin ever thought about his own mortality while creating this piece? As painters, we’re always dealing with the ephemeral, trying to capture a moment, a feeling, before it slips away. It’s a conversation across time and space.