Visual Art – Phoenix
Artist: Samantha Edwards
Born 1993 in San Diego Ca
Location: Phoenix, AZ
Medium: Watercolor, Acrylic & oil
Focus/Subject: The human condition / commissions
When asked to define myself as an artist, I struggle for something adequate... My style has a substantial range anywhere from abstract expressionism to watercolor, acrylic & oil portraits
I began my art career in August 2018 and although it seems to be such a short time, I dove head first and with an overflowing passion & energy.
I haven't yet had any formal education on Visual art but I spent each and every day buried in some type of creative/instructional literature at Barnes & Noble from just after noon until they closed.
I was hooked on my hunger for more and more knowledge about art in all its forms, bouncing from watercolor, acrylic, perspective instructional/cultural material to odds & end origami, woodworking, collage making, calligraphy & hand lettering. If I became a little burnt out on the educational text, I switched to poetry, performing arts, photography, human accomplishment and history.
Every day I got a little more curious, gained a little more understanding while exercising my ability. I quickly gained more confidence in myself as a woman who, not only loved, but excelled with ease at anything creative.
One afternoon while I was painting in the in-store coffee shop I was approached by another Barnes regular that asked if I was an artist and could they look at my completed work. Starting a snowball effect, more and more people approached me to either ask questions or watch me paint and occasionally someone would love a piece and ask to buy it.
I started selling my art works for $5.00 each and overtime gradually increasing my prices based on their individual difficulty, size, medium & length of time spent during creation. I learned very quickly which subject matter sold to which buyer, what prices were seen as reasonable, underpriced or too high and I made adjustments when necessary. I don't know exactly what made that process so easy, almost second nature, to me but I was amazed to see the amount of success I had during my first year.
My passion & love for art is transparent across the board and I enjoy so much putting every ounce of heart I have into each piece I'm working on.
Since fall 2018 I have flourished as a full-time artist both in my personal & financial life which, prior to then was not something I experienced regularly. My life has been a rollercoaster ride due to my continuous tug-of-war relationship with Borderline Personality Disorder and my identity.
The reason I feel it necessary to mention BPD here is because of the thanks I owe to art itself and all the wonderful people I have in my support group and the art community. They teach, support & encourage me to continue pushing for greatness. I found a healthy and productive outlet for my emotional over-load and have been able to make a complete 180 degree turn in my life.
Life is complex and beautiful and passionate and for some reason I see it differently than everyone else. Art in all of its amazing forms is the only thing I understand. This is the world, through my eyes. I hope you see something I've created that speaks to you.