Get to Know: Samantha Mash.

In anticipation of this week's release with Samantha Mash, we sat down with the incredibly talented artist to learn about her life and art:

Where were you born and where are you now?

I was born in Palo Alto, California and I currently live in Portland, Oregon.

What are your first artistic memories?

My first artistic memories are pretty much like anyone else's, playing around with crayons and trying to get the adults around to draw with me.

How has your style evolved from over the years to now?  Have you always dealt with the same themes?

My style has evolved as I have been able to grow away from being told what sort of artist I should be and instead allowing myself to become the artist I want to be. The themes have remained fairly consistent, however.

Could you tell us a bit about this week's release with us, "Breeze and Bloom?"

"Breeze and Bloom" was made with the idea of Spring coming ahead in 2022 (at least for us here in the Northern Hemisphere). It may feel far off, but time has been passing so quickly and as many of us grow tired of 2021 and the gloom it has brought I made this with the hopes that a future season could bring us more happiness.

What is a normal day like in the studio for you?

Oh, it is fairly boring. I wake up, I reply to emails, I address orders from my shop and then I work until around noon. Then I usually exercise for an hour or two outside of the house (walking/jogging/etc), come home and return to working on art until I feel like I need to stop. That stopping point usually comes around dinnertime, but has been known to go past it.

What is the hardest part of creating a work?

The hardest part of creating work for me is always making choices, I am terrible at picking colors and will nitpick my work into oblivion if I don't stop myself. I can redo poses a thousand times, and can make minor detail edits endlessly. It is very unhelpful for a creative practice.

And what is the most rewarding part?

The most rewarding part of making art for me is when people enjoy what I create, plain and simple.

When you're not working in the studio, what are you up to?

I'm more or less always in the studio, I don't really do much these days.

What can we look forward to from you in the future?

I'm not sure, I'm focusing a lot on how I can create work that feels more true to myself I suppose. Slowing down, letting myself rest more, and hoping that I can create work that means more to me. You get stuck in cycles of pleasing others and that happens to be a pattern in my work, so I am just going to be taking the time to try to stop that before I let it burn me out again.

"Breeze & Bloom" will be available Thursday, December 30th, 2021 at 1PM Pacific.