 Time flies! Celebrating 4-Weeks of Fearless Abstract Painting Studio Classes at Workshop SLC with an exercise I like to call "Compassionate Critiquing". This is an opportunity for students to bring one of their paintings up to the front of the classroom and allow the audience to respond to the work - an extremely vulnerable exercise for most! Because it's one thing to paint a picture, but it's an entirely different thing to display our work for public consumption.
 More textural moons. My latest renditions of mother moon. I just can’t seem to get enough of this subject matter lately. Perhaps I'm in need of some of her healing wisdom right now? The sun & moon represent different things in different cultures, but the one thing that is common in all of them is their polarity. The sun symbolizes firmness, strength and power while the moon represents calmness, beauty, nurturing.
 Commission Install Success. We just love how this large, textured, metallic, commissioned painting fits in perfectly with the sophisticated decor of this stunning Ohio home. Now this dining room is finally complete! A place to gather, offer thanks, make new memories and enjoy the company of loved ones for years to come. In the words of the client: " I can't think of a more perfect painting for that room. It's perfect Samantha! Thank you again!"
 Beautiful art, beautiful people, beautiful cause. A fundraising Art Show & Sale for the Children's Center of Utah at It's Not a Gallery. Thank You to all of the family & friends who contributed to make this event a resounding success.
 Artist Showcase & Fundraiser
Saturday, May 15 7 - 9 PM @itsnotagallery Every artshow is special, but this one I am especially excited about. An opportunity to showcase my work next to my mom's! I can't think of a better way to celebrate Mother's Day. Raising funds for a cause near and dear to my heart @childrenscenterutah is the icing on the cake.  What do you do to feel free? Painting on the ethereal surface of the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah made me feel especially free. Infusing salt, water and high frequency sun rays onto the canvas to create a painting about living life as a celebration and embodying the fearless. This is what happens when your life is aligned with your purpose. Unexpectedly, I began crying not because I was sad, and not because I was happy (even though I was happy!), but because I was overcome with a feeling that I had arrived. I am home.
The painting process can be your most valuable teacher. It can encourage you to be kind to yourself, manage your expectations, let go of perfectionism, enjoy the process, and rethink preconceived ideas of right VS wrong, good VS bad, and beautiful VS ugly. When we paint and something unpleasant happens, we claim that it is terrible, clinging to the idea of terribleness. When something good happens, we claim it as good and cling to the idea of good but suffer when it changes or goes away.
What inspires my painting process? One of my favorite parables as told by the illustrious Allan Watts:  I have been fascinated with the moon for as long as I can remember, so it's no surprise the moon is one of my favorite themes to channel during my creative process.
The moon represents powerful feminine energy. It signifies wisdom, intuition, birth, death, reincarnation, and a spiritual connection. The moon also represents our deepest personal needs. We can use the knowledge and energy of the moon's cycle to better connect to ourselves. During a full moon, the gravitational pull increases. It can affect brain function, leading to greater feelings of arousal. It leads to humans having more energy, feeling more extroverted and connected to our partner, and having more interest in sex. |
