In this interview, you'll meet Samantha Wood, another exhibiting artist in our current show "Take Flight"!

Tell us about you! How long have you been an artist and what is your focus? 

I graduated from college with a degree in art. At that point, I wasn’t ready or brave enough to try out being a full time artist. So, I taught art in the public school system for almost 15 years. During that time I always painted or dabbled creatively in some way on the side. In 2016, I began to realize that I wasn’t getting any younger. I knew if I really wanted to be a full time artist - it was time to get serious. I began to paint in the early mornings, in the evenings and on weekends. After 5 years of really pouring my heart and soul into it, I was able to leave my art teaching job and make the transition to a full time artist. The main focus in my art is experimenting with ways to use color in my paintings. My subject matter fluctuates between nature, nostalgia and any randomness that brings me joy. For all of us, life can be hard and I just really want my art to bring happiness and color to others.

How would you describe your style?

My style is colorful, crisp and fun. There’s a lot of realism and detail in my paintings…but there’s also fun pops of unexpected color, multihued shadows, and combinations of nature and objects in interesting compositions.

What kind of techniques and materials do you use in your work? 

I work with soft body and fluid acrylics. I typically work in layers and build color that way. I am at the point in my career, where I am ready to began exploring and incorporating other mediums within my paintings. That will be one of main focuses in 2023.

What kinds of birds appear in your work? What do they represent? 

I have painted parakeets, a magpie, an indigo bunting, a crow and pigeons. The parakeets and magpie were inspired by childhood memories. Pigeons have made more than one appearance in my work. I like painting pigeons especially because I enjoy interacting with them in urban environments. I love the fact that pigeons are common, yet intriguing. I like their personalities, the way they walk/strut, the different color patterns within their feathers, etc.

Looking back at this year, what would you say was one of your biggest achievements in your art career? What are you looking forward to in 2023? 

One of my biggest achievements this year, was receiving a large grant! It is enabling me to focus on  creating a large body of work, that I have dreamed of creating for a long time. The work is inspired by a collection of antique kaleidoscopes. The series will explore ideas about perspectives, while also allowing me to explore more with my use of color and the incorporation of new mediums within my work. It will conclude with an interactive art exhibit in my city of Jackson, Tennessee. The full collection will become available for purchase in April of 2023 and I can’t wait to share it with you!

Make sure to view her works in our current show!