 Today, the luminous Maren Mullin—owner of Gallery Mar—graced my studio. She hand-selected five new pieces, each pulsing with texture and rooted in local earth.
I’m thrilled to share them with you. These works are born from wind, sun, and soil. When Maren hesitated to stack the canvases in her car, I smiled and confessed: most of my paintings spend a night or two under the open sky. It toughens them. A little stacking? They don’t mind. Be the first to see them in person at Gallery Mar. Shop Gallery Mar https://www.gallerymar.com/artists/samantha-da-silva  I’m thrilled to announce my first two-person exhibition at Gallery Mar, opening Friday, January 16th!
For months, we’ve been quietly building something special. I excited to share it with you. But first, a deliberate pause. A 12-day meditation retreat in Thailand this December with Qigong grandmaster Mantak Chia. No distractions—just breath, energy, and inner alchemy. I’m traveling light: Three 8”× 10” canvases & Indigo, turmeric, mangosteen peel—dyes I’ll forage and grind on-site. Whatever emerges in that temple of silence will come straight from Chiang Mai to Gallery Mar. Save the date. More soon—from the other side of stillness. Shop Gallery Mar www.gallerymar.com/artists/samantha-da-silva  So much gratitude to the incredible team making UMOCA’s education program possible! I’m truly honored to have contributed my Fearless Abstract Painting workshop to an amazing lineup serving three local high schools.
It was a joy sharing my go-to coping mechanism for navigating change, transition, and uncertainty. Thank you for letting me bring my life’s work into your classroom! None of this would’ve happened without the support of Jared Steffensen, Alison Neville and Nakita Shelley—thank you! https://utahmoca.org/  Meditations in Blue is a sculptural series of red Utah earth works, each a quiet conversation between land and spirit. From a radiant mandala of iron-dust rings to a contemporary medicine bundle—wrapped in silence, bound with light—the collection unfolds across several distinct yet resonant forms. Built from canyon soil, cobalt pigment, and sun-fired gold, the pieces carry the weight of place: cracked strata that breathe, concentric wheels that turn inward, bundled offerings that open outward. In Park City’s high, clear light, blue depths hold yellow awakenings while red roots anchor the sky. Together, they invite pause—a slow, deliberate return to belonging.
 Thrilled beyond words by the enthusiastic welcome from my new friends at Make Space Kayenta!
My Fearless Abstract Painting workshop SOLD OUT in a flash—so we’re offering another one in February: https://makespacekayenta.com/classes/fearless-abstract-painting/ Huge love to Jen, Kaylee & every fearless soul for making magic happen. MY BOOK IS COMING JANUARY 2026!
Oh my gosh—I’m absolutely thrilled to share the most incredible news: I’ve just been awarded an Individual Artist Advancement Grant from the Utah Division of Arts & Museums for FY 2026! https://artsandmuseums.utah.gov/ This means the publishing costs for my book, Fearless Artistry: A Journey from Doubt to Creative Liberation, are fully covered! After 7 transformative years, watching this dream become reality feels surreal. I’m beyond honored, grateful, and ready to share this journey with you. Thank you from the bottom of my heart!  Responded to a casting call for Bravo’s The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City.
https://www.bravotv.com/the-real-housewives-of-salt-lake-city Launched an online poll that racked up nearly 300 views—and a whopping 68% voted YES to me joining the cast! Graciously passed, but truly honored. Season 7 producers: open to a fearless abstract painting workshop collab with the ladies? Who’s brave enough to get messy with me? Tag a Housewife who needs to paint her truth! @lisabarlow14 @heathergay @meredithmarks @whitneywildrose @mary_m_cosby @angiekatsanevas  Thank you, Alta Community Enrichment, for hosting my workshop: How to Dress Like an Artist! A huge shoutout to Sara Gibbs and Megan Oliver for making it all possible.
There’s no one right way to dress like an artist—your style is an extension of your work and your soul. Dressing with intention becomes a tool to share your gift with the world.  A sacred container where I push boundaries, ride the flow, and embrace the unexpected. Here, imagination runs wild—freedom, abandon, risk, visualization, meditation, prayer.
Once, I was shattered. A victim. Powerless. In this safe space, I began—tentatively—voicing my truth. That faint creative ember? I fanned it gently… until it roared back to life. It started with one blank canvas after my divorce. Paintbrush trembling, I was terrified to make a mark. One stroke became a swirl of cerulean blues—grief spilling out. Then reds: rage, passion, rebirth. Weeks and countless canvases later, I stepped back and saw me staring back—messy, alive, unbroken. Those paintings are gone now, but the truth remains: risk births resurrection. We must nurture the gift inside us. In doing so, we light the way for others. What’s your gift? What will you do today to fan that ember? |