 Excited to return to Kimball Art Center, Park City after a 3-year hiatus! Kicking off with a sold-out, Fearless Abstract Painting workshop — thank you all for your incredible support. Can’t wait to create and inspire together again.
 Lately, I’ve been reflecting on Instagram’s role in our lives. I see it as a powerful tool—to share my work and connect with others—but I also recognize its potential downsides. As a sensitive creator, I’ve established some personal guidelines to use Instagram intentionally and avoid its pitfalls. I hope these inspire you to do the same.
 Floating my sculptural paintings on the Great Salt Lake feels like creating a form of visual poetry, where the environment itself becomes a vital part of the conversation.
I draw from the land around me—infusing my works with iron-rich Utah dirt, salt from the lake, and foraged sawdust—materials that hold the essence of this place. These organic elements aren’t just supplies; they are my creative partners, guiding and shaping the outcome through their inherent properties. I believe in merging with these materials rather than controlling them, allowing their natural processes to unfold. When I immerse my works in salt baths, a beautiful oxidation occurs, forming a patina that echoes the natural beauty of the landscape. For me, this connection to place is essential—timing each piece to the moment and environment from which it was born—so that my art genuinely embodies the spirit of this extraordinary landscape.  In a nutshell, ‘Break Free’ is a piece about freedom.
How do you translate the concept of breaking free into tangible form? This was the question I sought to answer in creating this work. Practically speaking, the process began by binding the canvas with rope. Next, I added a layer of texture infused with organic material sourced from my local environment. The piece was then exposed to the intense heat of the Utah sun, causing cracks and fissures to develop throughout the work. Finally, the rope was carefully removed to reveal the imprints of where it once lay. It is my intention for this piece to serve as a visual metaphor for personal and collective liberation from the things that hold us back—allowing us to experience true freedom and abundance. Break Free, mixed media on canvas, 36” x 60” For inquiries, please contact Gallery Mar https://www.gallerymar.com/artists/samantha-da-silva  My Book!
I’m thrilled to share that my book, Fearless Artistry: A Journey from Doubt to Creative Liberation, is now off to the editor for a final review! I’m feeling a wonderful mix of excitement and anticipation as I see this project nearing completion. Writing a book is no small feat. For me, this journey began 7 years ago. It’s been a deeply rewarding, sometimes challenging process full of setbacks, breakthroughs, and growth. I’m incredibly grateful to everyone who supported me along the way—your encouragement has meant the world. I can’t wait to share it with you once it’s printed. My sincere hope is that the lessons I’ve learned over the past 17 years as a full-time professional artist will inspire and uplift everyone who reads it. Here’s to embracing fearlessness and unlocking our true creative potential.  M O O N S T R U C K
Although I have a deep passion for abstract expressionism, I find myself irresistibly drawn to the captivating allure of the moon. It’s a symbol that resonates deeply with me—representing the divine feminine, transformation, and renewal. The moon reminds us of life’s fleeting moments and the continuous cycles of change. It’s a gentle reminder to embrace the ever-changing nature of life and to find beauty in each moment.  Grateful to continue building meaningful connections and empowering our community through collaborative workshops.
Thank you https://ogdencontemporaryarts.org/ for making it all possible!  In 2008, after a decade of barely creating anything, I hit a low point. My marriage ended, I was stuck in an unfulfilling job at a law firm, and I was neglecting my health—smoking, over-exercising, starving myself, battling depression and anxiety.
 Grounded Grace is a mixed media sculpture that embodies my journey of spiritual connection and earthly grounding. By layering local newspaper, iron-rich Utah dirt, forged sawdust from hikes near my home, salt from the Great Salt Lake, and gold metallic pigment, I strive to create a tangible link between the sacred and the everyday.
The gold pigment, inspired by the halos in Byzantine saints, symbolizes enlightenment, divine presence, and communion with God. This piece reflects my belief that grace and spirituality are rooted in both the divine and the mundane, weaving together Utah’s natural landscape with a universal longing for transcendence. It’s a meditation on the sacredness of the ordinary, inviting viewers to contemplate their own connection to the divine through the textures, materials, and symbolism embedded within the work. Grounded Grace, mixed media on canvas, 48” x 30”  M A T E R I A L I T Y
More and more, my work gravitates toward the sculptural. In a world increasingly dominated by flat screens and digital surfaces, I yearn to see and feel true dimensionality—peaks, valleys, ruptures, and varied textures within my surfaces. Perhaps this desire is also a response to the pervasive presence of AI in our lives. Images that can be effortlessly altered, manipulated, and distorted at the click of a button. I long to create something that, for now, cannot be so easily fabricated—something rooted in tangible form and texture. Some might say this approach is a step backward, a nostalgic retreat from the flow of progress—returning to the painstaking, hands-on methods of the past, crafted in close proximity to nature, with patience and intention. And maybe they’re right. But for me, it’s about reclaiming a sense of authenticity and depth in a digital age that often feels fleeting and superficial. 'The Sacred Ladder to the Infinite', Mixed Media, 24" x 18" |