 Every artist knows the blank canvas isn’t truly blank. It’s alive with possibility, vulnerability, and the quiet fear of letdowns.
In my studio, every new piece begins the same way: I write mantras across the canvas first: setting intention, tone, and heart into the surface. Later layers of texture and paint will slowly bury the words, but I believe their energy remains. Felt. Carried. Shared between us.  A Morning Poem
How can life speak to you in a way you will truly hear? Is it through the shifting clouds? The morning song of birds? The quiet trickle of water? A sudden sunbeam warming your skin? The empty center of a pot that still holds everything? The deep peace that arrives when you finally stop? Follow your soul’s quiet yearning. It is right. It is true. Listen. Feel. There is no denying this. This is real. You don’t have much time left. May 4th, 2026 Santa Fe, NM A heartfelt thank you to Maren and Gallery MAR for creating such a special container for connection, inspiration, and genuine conversation — and to the artists who so graciously welcomed us into their lives and studios: Georgia O’Keeffe, Siri Hollander, Maura Allen, Michael Kessler, and Jamie Burnes.  Took a finished painting to a shooting range on the Great Salt Lake and used it as target practice.
When in Utah.  Before I touch a painting with color, I pick up a paint roller and write the intentions across the raw canvas.
For example: “Let’s be friends. I love you.”  Eyes closed again!
Fresh work delivered to Gallery MAR. https://www.gallerymar.com/artists/samantha-da-silva Some things never change.  In my studio, painting is an alchemical act.
This canvas was bound with ropes and set on fire. When the flames finally died and the ropes were cut away, a serene blue center remained — quiet, untouched, radiant. A halo of gold now surrounds it, while the edges still bear the scorched holes left by the fire. Life can bind us. Life can burn us. Yet the choice is always ours: to protect and cultivate a calm center amid the heat. I Feel Safe Here Mixed media on canvas, 36” x 60”  In the studio, visor down, heart open.
“The canvas does not judge. It simply receives. Every mark is allowed. Every mistake is information. Fear wants you to wait until you’re ready. Hope says: start now, exactly as you are.” This is from my book Fearless Artistry. You can order it now on Amazon (Kindle or paperback). What’s one thing you’ve been waiting to create “until you’re ready”? #FearlessArtistry #StudioVibes #CreateWithoutFear #AbstractArtist #UtahArtist  Textural moons infused with a sense of place, quietly watching over the Salt Lake City skyline.
One moon watches over all of us. In the studio, I build these layered surfaces slowly — pressing, carving, and letting the materials speak. Each moon feels like a quiet companion, a reflection of my own inner tides and the cycles I’ve moved through. They remind me that even in flux, something steady and luminous is always present.  “Lips of Light”
Mixed media on canvas, 28” x 22” I rolled tiny paper prayers and tucked them into the open lips of the painting. They ended up looking like cigarettes. Painting as altar. Painting as prayer. |
