Today we’d like to introduce you to Samantha Starr.
Hi Samantha, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
To start at the beginning I have to take you back to nearly three decades ago, when I was still a young baby just beginning to make sense of the world. I recall being enamored with coloring and would find any reason to do it. Family, friends, guests of any sort—I would draw pictures and tape them up around the house. My mother was a fine artist, so she nursed that interest with the utmost consideration. She was certainly an integral part of my story. I cannot get into how I came to be without mentioning her. Art supplies, taking me to different events, and simply giving me her time gave me the opportunities I’ve enjoyed today.
I believe the first time I was in an art show was back in the third grade. I had completed a rough, almost cubist self portrait. These shows were held at the Frist Center. That was the first time I’d been to an art museum. Little did I know at the time, I’d go to have my art shown there several more times as I entered high school. Then there was the Williamson Medical Center academic calendar which I had the good fortune of being featured in four times (several times being best of show). As a junior I won best in show at the Renaissance Center for an acrylic painting I’d done of my little sister. This led to them purchasing the painting as a part of their permanent collection. That was the first large sale I did.
Then senior year came around. It was an extremely busy time in my life. There were many competitions to participate in. One of which I entered digital work, winning the category and securing my full scholarship to Watkins College of Art, Design, and Film. Then came the Scholastic Art and Writing awards, set against artists across the nation. I earned a Silver medal, as well as three small silver medals and a bronze. That’s not to mention the quiet commissions I’d begun completing. It began as early as 2010 consisting of graphite work. As I grew in school I shifted mediums over to acrylic. I’d slowly sold over 30 works behind the scenes while still producing work for shows and competitions.
I ended up enrolling with Watkins in late 2014. I enrolled in the Graphic Design department, thinking it would be more marketable than trying to become a successful fine artist. It was a truly remarkable experience. They were unique in the fact that we were not allowed to use computers at all for the first year. So even though I was in the Graphic Design department, we still refined very fundamental, analog skills. Being a student there also allowed me to freelance illustrations for Northern Star: A Whale of a Tale, a chapter book written by Robert Mickey Maughon. I also had my art featured on the cover of the Nashville Scene. My time learning at Watkins was one of the happiest times of my life. I would unfortunately not see the end of my time there, or graduate like I had once dreamed.
While I worked hard to carve a place for myself in the world my mom had been battling cancer. First breast cancer when I was still in elementary school. That went into remission and gave us a period of peace. Then when I was a high schooler she fell down the stairs one night and broke her arm. In the hospital we discovered the breast cancer had returned in the form of bone cancer—and my mom was already in the later stages of it. She ended up passing away at home surrounded by family after my first year of college. There was an odd delay to the grief. I was numb to it for a long time. Then suddenly at the start of the second half of my second year, it all but crushed me. The staff was incredibly accommodating. They certainly did what they could, but I just wasn’t able to sustain it all. Then I entered homelessness and everything I had seemingly worked towards fell away.
There was a long stunt from that point on where I struggled to know what was right anymore. I didn’t know what the future entailed after losing my education. More so than that, my number one support system. There was a long period of time where I struggled to make art or to understand why I was doing it in the first place. I worked slowly, not finishing anything for many years. Countless paintings left half done. Odd concepts as I battled with my own style and vision for my art.
It hasn’t been until I became a mother myself that I’ve found that source of purpose again. The beginning years were slow as I was entrenched in the throws of motherhood. There was little time to be myself out of my newfound role in life. But interestingly that scarcity of time became very crucial. It forced me to get serious about holding myself accountable to deadlines. When I began taking commissions again, I met them with a renewed sense of vigor. Now working specifically in oil painting I slowly began to build my portfolio again. It’s been dreadfully slow. But I’m finally doing what I know I’m meant to do.
There was a small period of time where I returned to work. In that time I had the joy of being apart of Michael Cooper’s team at Murals and More. That was one of the other happiest times in my life. Getting to show up and contribute to the work Mike was doing was honestly the highlight of my professional life. Becoming pregnant with my second child took me back out of work. But this time I kept painting. Usually just at night, sometimes during nap time. Slowly but surely selling commissions and working on a body of personal work.
That about brings me up to the present. I just finished a mural project of my own as well as sold my largest commission to date. I’m also working on a landscape series to host an art show. Most of my work has been portraits so it made sense to me to focus on more environmental pieces. I love nature and have spent a considerable amount of time out in it when I’m not creating. Then there’s been countless other random opportunities, between graphic design work and designing tattoos for close friends. Also a bit of Japanese Traditional. I know now with great certainty that I’m meant to be creating, filling a space my own mother had to give up in lieu of raising my sister and I. That’s a part of what motivates me so much. I know she encouraged me so strongly because she wanted to see me go where she could not. Now being a mother myself I know the importance of maintaining that legacy.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Absolutely not! Yet thats a wonderful part of the story. I never thought I could view it that way. The set backs I faced seemed like the end of the world while I was passing through them. But it has leant great meaning to what I do now. I have so much more value and respect for what I have and what I’ve been able to do, knowing how it felt without it. I also understand how fundamental the set backs were in terms of my story. For a long time I almost held myself in too high of a regard. Upon losing it all and taking serious time away my skills began to dull. When I came back, I realized that talent is only a small part of it. Commitment, dedication, and consistency all out do talent every time. That’s one of the best lessons I could have learned. You don’t have to be a natural talent to refine a skill and become excellent at it. It just takes time and repetition. Now I don’t view myself as someone who was a naturally gifted artist (although thats what I was told my whole life). I recognize that I’m a hard worker and that work ethic is what has sown the seeds of the fruits I now enjoy.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I specialize in commission portraits, typically in oil paints. I pride myself on being extremely detail oriented and pushing myself to see things others cannot. Since leaving school I’ve become very proficient in color theory. I have a strong eye for solid design and what can make a piece of art really stand out. Even the shoddiest references I’ve been able to find an element and hone in on it. I battled myself for a long time over making things that others can produce with a camera. I thought that just being a copy cat artist wasn’t a true skill or that there was no merit to it. Years of trying to create things exactly as they are has morphed into allowing some traces of artist expression. I still consider myself a realism artist but I allow more evidence of hand than I once did—I take on more creative liberties. Not without losing the sense of life I hope to bring to every piece.
We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
Success to me looks like doing work that I can be proud of at the end of the day. That may mean all I did that day was take care of my kids or keep the house clean. I’m successful when I choose to show up and give 200% of myself. This has crossed time between countless jobs, being a student, friend, and now mother. Anytime I choose to push myself and put my heart into it I succeed. Each opportunity I have to paint is another success. It doesn’t matter to me so much what the exact outcome is as long as I show up authentically myself and stay true to whats important to me. For me thats trying my hardest at any task and keeping the commitment to myself to continue creating.
Pricing:
- 5” x 5” for $250
- 8” x 10” for $415
- 12” x 16” for $780
- 18” x 24” for $1,100
- 30” x 40” for $2,400
Contact Info:
- Website: https://samstarr.art/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/samstarr.art?igsh=a2xibDFlZ2lvdTF3&utm_source=qr
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/samnastarr?
