Ways of Seeing

This was my first oil painting, done in an art class when I was 17 (in 1988) but not framed until 2010! Two female bodies visible from neck to hips, draped in a sheer fabric and emerging from darkness. It was painted from a photograph in a design magazine. This is a 'feminist' painting. In chalk around the edges is the phrase: 'Men Act. Women Appear. Men look at women. Women watch themselves being looked at. This determines not only most relations between men and women, but also the relation of women to themselves.' (Berger, 1974, Ways of Seeing). I later came across this quote 36 years later (in 2024) in the book 'Women Living Deliciously.' by Florence Given.

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Hi, I'm Samantha, an Adelaide based artist who is currently focusing on painting creatures from nature, especially birdlife, but also create figures, still life and comical characters. I mainly use acrylics, oils and pencil, but have also worked in charcoal and collage. I have taken a range of short art courses over the years, including in drawing, oil painting and cartooning, at the Adelaide Central School of Art, WEA and TAFE.
I am also a non-fiction author who has written two historical true crime books and collaborated on an historical biography of a pioneer aviator from South Australia.
Aside from this I have a passion for public health and have been a public health academic and now work as a health management consultant.
My author website is www.samanthabattams.com and instagram is: @samanthabattams