Meet Samantha-Ann Comeau | Multi Disciplinary artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Samantha-Ann Comeau and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Samantha-Ann, can you share a quote or affirmation with us?
“art should comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable” – Cesar A. Cruz. I love this quote because it both challenges how one may view art and the conventions by which one creates. Art can serve so many purposes. Viewing art through this quote, in my opinion, removes all preconceived notions and expectations as to what I or others believe art should look like. It has helped shaped my creative process in the sense of stepping outside the box and constantly challenging myself with new mediums.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I have for years tried so many different disciplines. For a very long time, I felt I had to choose one path and hyper focus on that in order to become successful. Somehow, that never panned out for me. I went to college three times and wound up dropping out twice. I did one year of graphic design, one year of photography and graduated with two diplomas: makeup artistry and creature design. For a long time, I relied on freelance primarily in the form of custom artwork and photography. The pandemic hit and like everyone else I struggled. At the very beginning of the pandemic, I found out I was pregnant with my beautiful wild child. After nearly two years of being a stay at home mom, putting art aside and moving from Canada to Texas, I am just now starting to put myself out there again. I have decided I no longer want to hyper focus. I have a great love for so many different art forms and the time feels right to embrace all of them. My main focus at the moment is mixed media portraiture and my new clothing line. My clothing line is called body art clothing. I have been taking designs I created when I was actively body painting a few years back and turning them into digital drawings which I them turn into wearable art and home décor. This new business venture is still in its infancy, only having launched on August 15th 2022. Learning digital drawing has been quite the challenge but I am so proud of what I have created so far. I cannot wait to watch B.A.C grow…That’s not to say I am not open to other creative ventures or dusting off my camera and capturing beautiful moments. Being a creative in a brand new country, it is incredibly hard to find my niche, see where I fit in and find other weird creative minds to collaborate with. My challenge right now, is that I am starting at square one. Having a blank slate, while terrifying, is also exciting. It may seem small or silly, but something I am really proud of at the moment is a painting I entered into the state fair. It is my first time entering the state fair and I got first place in my category for my mixed media portrait of Selena Quintanilla. Small victories after a long break are incredibly validating.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
This is funny to me, as my cousin just spent 5 days visiting me for my wedding. Truthfully, majority of my idea of fun, especially for anyone visiting me from Canada revolves around food. My number one thing is always street tacos, especially from Fuel City. Anyone not from here has found Buc-ee’s super interesting so that is a must. My family/friends are mostly all super geeky so for sure we’d have to take a stroll around the Arboretum in Dallas to play some Pokémon Go. Creative markets and farmers markets are the best. The state fair is another big one, we don’t have fairs of that caliber back home. Many of the people I know are lovers of Funko pops so going to different malls and stores looking for one of a kind collectors items or just toys that give a serotonin boost. Wal-marts here are huge compared to Canada and have so much variety so that one is always interesting. I recently took my cousin to the Plaza Garland, there is always something unique there. I truthfully haven’t explored as much as I would like quite yet so I am looking forward to discovering more places to introduce to my loved ones when they come to visit.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
While I would love to individuality shout out everyone I love for all the contributions that have shaped me, I primarily feel There are three people that at this very moment really inspire me to go above and beyond. As cheesy as it may seem, first of all there is my husband. He always has suggestions that push me past my comfort levels and improve my creative process in ways I couldn’t even think of. He truly is my biggest supporter and best teammate ever. My friend and eternal inspiration Multi Disciplinary artist Alexandra Bastien. She has helped introduce me to other creatives. I see her hard work and incredible creations and it makes me want to push myself that much harder. I am able to envision possibilities I never even knew existed when I see all that she has accomplished. Finally, my all time favorite artist Alex Pardee. 16 years ago, I first discovered his art and that greatly helped with my confidence in the freedom that comes with embracing the weird, creepy, colorful and everything in between.

Website: www.samshine.art

Instagram: www.instagram.com/samshineart

Facebook: www.facebook.com/samshinephotography

Other: www.bodyartclothing.com

Image Credits
Dragon Body Paint photo credits to Cyril M Photographie