Samantha Dabney is an artist, landscape architect, and mother. Her creative process is an intimate act of connection with people, the natural world, and the imaginary. Her subjects range from places embedded with personal or cultural meaning, mythical objects, trees that have borne witness to generations of history, or the people in her life.

She is known for her expressive linework, use of negative space, and her grasp of color and scale. Her work is in private collections across the US and Europe.

At the age of thirty-seven, recently single and with a one-year-old, she suffered a severe brain bleed that shattered every filament of her life. Once she was able to hold a pen again, art and design became her way of communicating when she had no words. After years of hard work, she has made a full recovery; however, she struggles to keep up with the frenetic pace of American culture. The intense drive for profit, speed, and productivity regardless of environmental and human costs confounds her.

Sam’s creative process allows her to exist in this culture. Her paintings and drawings are recordings of survival and vitality in a world of cacophony.

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Born into a family of painters, sculptors, designers, and photographers on both her mother’s and father’s sides, creativity is in her genes. From a young age, she spent hours devouring art and design books; visiting museums, art shows and gardens; learning about color theory and composition; inventing things; and making piles of drawings and paintings.

While she received her graduate degree from the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), she credits her family for the art and design education they gave her throughout her life.

Sam was raised in the vast landscapes of Colorado, Texas, and Montana. As an adult, her curious and adventuresome spirit led her to live in Switzerland, Vermont, Madagascar, Jackson Hole WY, NYC, Dubai, Qatar, Rhode Island, and California. Sam now lives in Charlottesville, Virgina with her daughter and their animals.

EDUCATION

Middlebury College, BA
Rhode Island School of Design, MLA