 Join us July 24 & 25, 2021 for my final on-line workshop this year! This workshop was specifically designed with my Australian & Canadian friends in mind, on account of the workshops & retreats that were COVID-canceled this year. For more information & to register: https://www.samanthadasilva.com/store/p251/FEARLESS_ABSTRACT_PAINTING.html   What a relief to teach a Sold Out workshop at University of Utah's LifeLong Learning Program without a mask! Still, to allow for more ventilation & greater social distancing, we painted in the lunchroom, and "Dextered" the entire thing to encourage uninhibited self-expression. This was a really fun group! The best compliment I can receive as an instructor is creating an environment where students feel inspired to stay connected even after the workshop is over. I am happy to report that this happened in the most beautiful, effortless way.  I've been a resident artist & art instructor at Workshop SLC for 2 years & I'm so proud to share this experience with you! Please join us for an evening of art, music, food & community on Friday, July 9th from 6 - 9 PM Did you get a chance to see the video we made together?! Check it out: https://www.workshopslc.com  Q: Hi Sam, I was recently asked if I do commissions and I have no artist friends to ask... I have never done a commission and have no idea how to work with a client on a painting, but I don't want to say no. It's a little different than doing a freelance graphic design job. Do you have any particular process you go through with a client?  "If you want to learn something, read about it. If you want to understand something, write about it. If you want to master something, teach it." Yogi Bhajan Week 7 of Fearless Abstract Painting STUDIO CLASSES at Workshop SLC. I am so incredibly grateful for this amazing group & the humble privilege to be their fearless leader week after week. Honestly, I feel like I learn much more from them than they do from me.  One of my signature looks is creating paintings that look aged, weathered by the elements, and "distressed". Introducing one of these works into a modern interior - ripe with polished concrete and stainless steel, fills me with excitement. I delight in the juxtaposition. One of the ways to achieve this effect is make your own rust solution. The color of the rust solution is similar to the reddish-brown color Sepia. Make your own rust solutions using this simple recipe:  Week 6 unfolded in the most beautiful way! I felt like I was standing on holy ground. My heart is full of gratitude to be able to do what I love, and to share it with such beautiful souls. Without masks! Real time!! As an instructor, one of my favorite things to witness is students making connections - helping each other navigate the process with ideas drawn from their own personal practice and life experience. What a gift! We'll be taking a break for the summer in a couple of weeks, but Studio Classes will commence once again in September at Workshop SLC  Look what we made! Acrylics are a fast drying medium, and they dry even faster when exposed to the hot, gorgeous sun of the Wasatch mountains. Celebrating Day-2 of "Distressed" Mixed Media Workshop at the Kimball Art Center, Park City, Utah. Infusing iron-rich Utah dirt, salt from The Great Salt Lake, and foraged sawdust to create works of art that tell a story about place, home and belonging. So grateful for the opportunity and the privilege to meet !! IN PERSON !! at this beautiful venue.  It gets messy before it gets good! Incorporating collage, newspapers & paint scrapers to create simulated marks of age & wear. A SOLD OUT 2-day "Distressed" Mixed Media Workshop at the new & beautiful Kimball Art Center in Park City, Utah. |