Today we’d like to introduce you to Samantha Sawyer
Hi Samantha, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
Artistic expression has always been an integral part of my life. I’m from Abaco, a small island in The Bahamas, and have always been heavily influenced by its environment. Growing up, I drew and colored often, as many children do. In high school, I continued to create. My teacher, Mrs. Lori Thomspon, always inspired me to push my boundaries. In high school, I was also part of the Junkanoo Club and helped make the costumes. Junkanoo is a Bahamian festival full of rich music and vibrant costumes made of crepe paper, cardboard, feathers, and jewels. So I was painting, drawing, and making a lot then.
In September 2019, Hurricane Dorian devastated the island, destroying homes and schools, which forced many of us to relocate. I ended up in South Florida for my last few years of high school and that was when I decided that painting was something I wanted to pursue. I was painting a lot during this time, much of it being centered around the damage and aftermath of the hurricane. My art teacher Mrs. Sarah Rojo was amazing and helped to guide me. Knowing I wanted to pursue something creative, I applied to SCAD, and was accepted, but did my first year online due to covid. I moved to Savannah the following year and here I am as a senior! The painting department along with the professors have provided invaluable guidance and mentorship. It is bittersweet to soon be graduating, but it has been a journey and I am so grateful to see how my body of work has grown.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Hurricane Dorian was a huge hurdle to overcome, not only for me but for every Bahamian who was affected by it. Seeing my hometown destroyed was difficult. Coupled with an abrupt move and starting a new high school in a different country took some adjusting. My work was an outlet for a lot of these emotions I was feeling at the time, and I believe it’s also a reason why I began to dedicate much more time to it. Taking the leap to go away to college at SCAD was also challenging for me. I am very close with my family, and the thought of that distance was very anxiety-inducing for me. However, with time it got much easier, and to know I was able to take that step has made me feel much more capable of other challenges I have faced since then.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am primarily a painter, but recently, I have been experimenting with mixed media, and I also have gotten into printmaking. Most of my body of work is influenced by my Bahamian background, Abaco’s environment, and the memories that have been and are still being collected there. My love for my home is integral to my practice, and it is a constant thread throughout my work. Most of my pieces feature the sea or elements from it, whether it is a large-scale piece with intricate water reflections or recently, my work has featured actual objects that wash to shore. I also sell phone cases and stickers through Redbubble and have been delving into other products on my own. I love to work on a large scale, the impact it holds on the viewer is great. Something I have pushed myself to do during my time here at SCAD is loosen the hold of the “specific way” I do things and embrace exploration. Sometimes it can be daunting or uncomfortable to do things that are not typically how I work, but it has been rewarding to see how it may evolve. At one point, I let a professor take a large paintbrush and fully paint over the top of my work because he was showing me a new technique. In the end, it elevated that piece and was the step that needed to be taken for it. While not everything is something that sticks, most of the time there is something I can take from it.
Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
I am an early bird! I am not the biggest fan of late-night painting – sometimes if I get in the groove I will occasionally, but it’s rare. I have had to paint a bit at night these past years just to get pieces wrapped up for finals during crunch time. But, I much rather paint early in the morning, even midday. I know typically artists tend to be night owls, or at least most artists I know are. However, I find that I produce my freshest paintings earlier in the day.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.samanthanoellesawyer.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ss.tings/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ss.tings/
- Other: https://linktr.ee/ss.tings?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAaai-xIkUk6AO7LtA5n7c4WwU3ftpF1cW7xr-LdAvWjbcCZiVV7dLbLxmrk_aem_AtPtz78qSZ8HQGlIIc3Ymw
