Sweet Surrender

2022

Surrendering is the hardest thing to do. So often we are told to fight for what we want, to work hard to achieve our goals, to make goals. What happens when we surrender to fate, the powers that be, destiny? Whatever you call it, I have been exploring the practice of “giving in”. Letting life take its natural course. I found myself always chasing the rainbow. Then my whole life shifted. Suddenly, I I had no control and was spinning in circles with anxiety, fear the unknown. My mortality, my longevity, my health, my finances, my independence, my marriage, my very self; all lost to me. I lost myself in the whirlwind of chaos that encompassed every aspect of my world. I felt like a ship at sea in a huge storm knowing land was close, but I couldn't get there no matter how hard I swam. I was drowning.

It wasn’t until I let myself be swept away with the storm, not fearful of what may come, but trusting that what was happening was going to work out. Surrendering to being swept away in the current. I found myself saying, ‘trust the uncertainty, embrace the unknown’ and stating, ‘I am open to receive whatever graces come my way’.

Fighting feels instinctive, you just want to get back to the life you left, but if you stopped, took a deep breath and surrendered, trusted the change, embraced the unknown, opened yourself to seeing the opportunities that were presenting themselves, chances are you find yourself somewhere you never expected to be and possibly even better than you ever thought possible.

Sweet Surrender was painted while contemplating my journey to my current place in life and how, in my letting go and opening myself up, I accepted my fate, embraced the possibilities, and found joy and hope. My hope is that when you hold Sweet Surrender in your gaze you find what you need to surrender to the unexpected and find your joy.

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Always fond of the subtle dynamic relationship between sea, sky and land, Samantha creates visual landscapes as a way to explore the depth of the soul's connection to our environment.

Growing up in California with her five siblings, Samantha began honing her painting style long before she graduated from the Academy of Arts San Francisco with a Bachelors of Arts in Illustration and Design. She had a career in the advertising industry as an Assistant Graphic Designer and Jr. Art Director. After a few awards and her second child, she left her advertising career and devoted her time to raising her two young boys and painting in her free time.

Leaving the Northern California coasts in 2007, she found yet another coastal haven on the beautiful Northern Beaches of Sydney. She and her two sons have called Australia home for over 15 years.

Her work is an expression of her soul inspired by the raw and beautiful locations in which she has been blessed and fortunate to live and travel.

Her paintings explore the the relationship between soul, sea, sky and land and her landscapes evoke from the viewer a deep and emotional connection, often enriched by a emotional journey and memories. Her medium of choice is Acrylic often underpainted with Charcoal and embellished with a mix of watercolour, pencils or whatever other medium is at her dispense that creates the mood for which she is striving to translate into her work.

Her work often is driven by a personal journey, emotional journey, and mood. She says, “I find it difficult to define my style as I paint what I feel and I paint first and foremost for myself. It is my means of expression, and development as a human. My work can change from day to day, and sometimes differs depending on the medium. What brings me most satisfaction is a buyer who opens up and share their personal connection to my work. Almost all of my paintings are apparitional, they transcend the constraints of an exact location and I find these creative and invented landscapes transport the buyer or viewer into their own dreams and memories. Sharing these stories with strangers, connecting through my art, is what inspires me.”