Meet Samantha Williams-Chapelsky | Artist

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

Hi Samantha, how do you think about risk?
Risk has been a career affirmation. I have believed in taking risks ever since I graduated high school and turned down an engineering scholarship to pursue fine arts as a career. I challenged myself after finishing my degree to figure out how to make ART my business and slowly but surely I took calculated risks leaving full time jobs, part time jobs and then the traditional job market altogether to follow my passion – painting. Still today – I choose to take a risk for my career once or twice a year – sometimes this is a residency outside of my comfort zone, signing with a new gallery, challenging traditional materials in a new way…

All of these risks actually make a career in the arts. It takes a risk to pursue something so ethereal, something with not guidelines or procedures. Risk has made my passion a career.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I am an abstract landscape painter working in acrylic and oil paint. I work with acrylic paints to produce large scale abstracted landscapes with a focus on the materiality of the paint to allude to emotion and feeling within the space. My oil paintings draw on more of the traditional pastoral feel of the landscape – that specifically of western Canada – and I draw on an emotion of nostalgia and sentiment.

I began my career in University studying painting and art history for 5 years – learning processes from realism to abstraction and working in a variety of media. After university, I slowly worked my way into creating a full time career in the arts. One where I would be able to paint, lecture, and teach a little to create the perfect mix.

I believe wholeheartedly I was meant to be an artist. I have never had a second to doubt that. I always knew it. And I think that voice in my head that constantly reminded me of what I wanted to be helped me in not giving up.

Art is a hard career choice. It requires a strong backbone and an understanding that your work is subjective, not you the person. It requires distance from ones work, and yet a closeness that no other job can ever achieve. It is a world of contrasts – and I love every minute.

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?
Off to the mountains we go! I would say it is road trip time! I am from the northernmost capital city in all of Canada – so wear a parka. I would also say that I am 3 hours away from some of the world’s greatest wonders like Jasper National Park, Banff and Lake Louise. These are places I truly love to visit all year round.

My home town is a working city filled with music festivals and local arts events. There is always something fun going on!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Quite a few – I will start with my parents, Theresia and Glenn, who took that initial step in recognizing I had talent and encouraging me to pursue it! My husband, Cole, who helps me take those big risks and stands by my side in the good and bad moments.
and lastly Patti, my artist mentor who encouraged me to try new paint, use it in a new way, and to think of my world and work a little differently.

Website: https://samanthawilliamschapelsky.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/samanthawilliamschapelsky/?hl=en

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