American Experiment pt.1
by Sam Grudge
What if the most powerful nation on Earth was built upon love? That question wouldn't leave me alone — and this is my answer, or at least the beginning of one. The stripes are all there, red and white, bold as ever. But where the stars would be, I put hearts. Fifty of them, give or take, glowing white inside a deep blue field. Not a flag exactly — more like a wish dressed up as one. America has always felt to me like an ongoing experiment, restless and unfinished, magnificent and contradictory. I'm an American living far from home, and I hold that distance like a lens. From here, I see both the fractures and the fire. This painting is not nostalgia and it's not critique — it's a question I keep asking. What would it look like if love were the founding principle, not just the rhetoric? Part one, because I don't think one painting is enough to hold that question.
This original artwork
Free shipping to 17 European countries
Delivery and returns
Limited Edition
- Size
- 60 × 60 cm
- Run size
- 20
Not sure which edition is right for you?
Read more about the differences between originals, limited and open editions
Product specifications
- Artwork type
- Original (unique item)
- Medium / Support
- oil on canvas
- Dimensions
- 50 × 50 × 4 cm
- Frame
- None
- Completed
- 2025
- Current location
- In Studio
- Styles
- pop art · symbolism · contemporary · graphic art
- Keywords
- #americanart #heartart #popinspired #patriotic #contemporarypainting
The collector’s proof

Its story stays with you.
“A little of my soul goes into each painting. I want you to know where it came from—and that it is the original.”
Sam Grudge
A hand-signed certificate. Your certificate carries my signature. A copy stays in my studio register.
My fingerprint, on both. The fingerprint on your certificate matches the one on the artwork.
A matching serial number. A mechanically stamped number connects the painting to its certificate.
Signed front and back. My signature belongs to the painting itself, not just its paperwork.
Heart stamps in the wood. Stamped marks on the chassis and, when included, the frame help validate its origin—usually with hearts in several places on the chassis.
A person you can ask. Come back to me whenever you want to validate your certificate.
Original artworks from the studio, shown as authentication examples—not the reverse of American Experiment pt.1.

The frame is part of the work.
I build from raw lumber or paint and adapt an existing frame—always as part of the painting.
Made to belong. Shape, finish and colour chosen for this painting.
Signed and marked. My writing and stamps authenticate both frame and painting.
See Product specifications for this artwork’s framing. Ask me about options.

A crate made for your painting.
I make a unique wooden crate for each painting, usually with a textured finish. Protection with personality.
Built for this journey. Custom-built by me, in the studio, for your painting.
Protection, with a little style. 3D-printed heart corners protect the box from shipping damage—and look good doing it.
A custom crate, from my workshop to your doorstep.
See how I make the cratesFrom my studio.
To your door.
I pack your artwork and arrange its journey. You’ll know how it’s protected—and who to talk to.
Free hand
delivery.
Belgium & Luxembourg
Brought to your door by me or someone I trust, at no delivery charge.
Usually 2–3 daysfrom purchase, on average.
FedEx everywhere else.
We’ve partnered with FedEx for the best possible shipping experience. Regional Economy in Europe, and International Economy to the United States and Canada.
Insured for its full valueProtection for the artwork’s full value while it travels.
Expected in 5–7 daysCounted from shipping—not from purchase.
Signature required on arrivalRequired for a secure handover at your door.
Tracked from dispatchYour tracking number arrives as soon as your artwork ships. Follow its journey on fedex.com.
Allow about two days to prepare the handmade crate before dispatch. Transit times are estimates; destination and customs checks can affect arrival.



