Hi I’m Samm!

 

Background/Inspiration: I’ve been drawing and painting animals since I was old enough to hold a crayon. The only reason I never went to art school was because they told me there was “too much dog” in my art portfolio for me to be taken seriously as an artist. I took that as a hint and decided to pursue a degree related to animals instead. I graduated from Rutgers University in 2012 with a BS in Animal Science and Ecology & Evolution, and then spent several years working with animals while dabbling in painting as a side hustle. I’ve worked with a variety of critters including pigs, goats, stingrays, sharks, jumping spiders, piping plovers, American Oystercatchers, exotic moths from all over the world and more… but my favorite work has always been doing conservation research with monarch butterflies, which is why they have been a constant theme throughout my art.

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Career Change: I thought my career would always involve wildlife conservation or animal welfare — but my world changed in 2018 when the universe threw me a curve-ball of circumstances that shifted my career path and inspired me to become a full-time working artist instead — and to this day, I still encompass the animal themes I am so passionate about within my work.

 

Life Now: I currently reside in Gainesville, FL with my husband Josh and our 3 rescued pitbulls where I work from home in my art studio. Josh is my biggest supporter and best assistant, often helping me at art shows, with murals, and fulfilling orders at home. I surround myself with plants, both in my art studio and in our gardens around our home. In my free time I love exploring our local Florida springs by freediving and paddleboarding, and I enjoy traveling all over the world to see new places - I work hard so I can play hard too. It’s taken a while, but I have finally embraced escaping societal pressures and expectations for living a “normal life”. I’ve never been as happy as I am now working for myself, and am so grateful to be able to do what I love every day! The process of becoming a full time artist has really shifted my mindset, and it’s helped me see everything in a new perspective.

 

About my art: As an animal lover and an artist, I combine my two biggest passions to create my own vibrant and whimsical style of art. Creating a fun spin-off of the actual likeness of our furry (or scaly, or feathery) friends with a paintbrush, I have developed my own style of painting, and enjoy working with bright colored acrylics on a variety of surfaces included canvas, reclaimed wood, and repurposed materials. I care a lot about the planet and try to reuse whatever I can to keep trash out of landfills, so you'll often see old fan blades, found objects and reclaimed wood in my art displays! A huge thing for me is authenticity - you won’t see my art following trends or mimicking other styles, I try to uniquely be nothing but my own self at all times and prefer to go against the grain and be different than everyone else.

 

For a cause: In addition to creating, I am passionate about fundraising for local animal organizations in our community.. since I no longer work with animals hands on I want to help in other ways and donate $ whenever I can. A portion of all my art proceeds support the fundraising arm of my business, which are charity paint your pet parties I call "Painting with a Pit". So far these events have raised over $30k for animal charities!  Some of the causes I am most passionate about include animal rescue and wildlife conservation. As a vegan, I’m also very passionate about sharing my love for beings of all species in an artistic and positive way. My goal as an artist is to not only make people happy with my art, but to challenge others to re-evaluate our relationship with animals and the planet. I hope to inspire humans to make a difference with their daily life choices.

 

Shop Small: My work has been displayed in a variety of shops, businesses, restaurants, and galleries. I exhibit and sell my artwork at several art shows, festivals and markets throughout the year, and also have an online shop with select artwork and gift items for sale. I dabble in murals and big art, but I ONLY accept large-scale projects that deeply align with my spirit and soul. My specialty is my unique pet portraits which have been in demand by clients since 2012. I dabble in a little bit of everything making me a well-rounded ARTrenpenuer that is always learning, having fun, and growing my business! If you have a project in mind, please get in touch. Remember that shopping small and supporting working artists makes the world of difference to a real human being and their family instead of a big box store/corporation that will never know your name. Small businesses are affected every day by your choices to shop big or shop small. I greatly appreciate your support ❤️

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The motto I live by is;

“Let the Beauty You Love Be What You Do”