We asked Samantha Buller, a Petaluma-based painter, a few questions about her practice and process, and how her work invites a fresh take on familiar, commonplace objects. Buller’s solo show, Backyard Dreams, will be on view from March 1st through April 27, 2025. The opening reception will be held on Saturday, March 1st, 2025 from 4-6 pm. Additionally, Buller will be holding a Painting a Large Pet Portrait workshop on Saturday, April 5 & 12 from 10AM-3PM. Purchase your tickets here!
Can you recall your first experience with oil painting? How did you make the decision to pursue a career in painting?
Yes, I can absolutely remember my first experience with oil and it was a steep learning curve! I have always been an artist, my mother was very influential in that aspect and she always had crafts and art activities for my siblings and I to work on. When I was in high school I struggled with academia, and while I enjoyed the social aspect of schooling, I strongly disliked all the traditional subjects. So halfway through my junior year, I took the steps to exit early and graduate. I went directly to our local junior college and happily jumped into the arts department with both feet. I never looked back and it was there that I was introduced to oil paint.
It’s clear throughout your body of work that you understand each of your subjects intimately. Can you elaborate on how you choose your subject matter?
I love it all – I think I need variety in my life so I tend to jump around from landscape, to still life, to figures, to even sweet pups! But the underlying current is always color – I’m just drawn to color and want to paint it in whatever form it takes. For Backyard Dreams, I am really leaning into the state of motherhood I am currently in and the life my family and I are choosing to live. I’m smack in the middle of kids, neighborhood friends, and simple, old-school fun which mostly happens in our backyard that we have worked so hard on to make a home.
A trademark in your work is the very active brushwork you use. It’s a unique experience to see the artist’s hand so clearly in a piece. What do you like about the freedom of oil paint and how does it allow you to incorporate that sense of movement and layering?
I really enjoy the feeling of moving oil paint around. You can literally push it where you want it to go and because of the open dry time, you have freedom to play and experiment with your placement for hours, if not longer. In general, I like to put a brush stroke down and leave it. I gravitate towards the immediacy and confidence in seeing an artist's hand in their work, so I do my best not to overwork or completely refine my pieces.
I notice such a striking sense of light in your work. Whether you’re depicting figures, landscapes, or objects, you give each subject a noticeably luminescent quality. Is this a quality that comes naturally to you?
I think it does come naturally, at least it feels like it does. It’s what captures my eye in everyday life, so I think it’s natural that it comes across or translates into my work. For example, even before I was painting I have always been so intrigued and in awe of all white houses, just because I love the light and shadow that is created on a beautifully sunny day as it strikes the home. You get a wonderful bright warm light in contrast to some gorgeous blue, blue-violet shadows. That is incredibly satisfying to me.
You’ve expressed how negative space is important in enhancing your work. Given this, how do you decide where to finalize your compositions? Is including negative space something you preplan intentionally, or is it more reflexive as the painting develops?
I do consider negative space as a part of the painting in its entirety before I begin. Those areas are just as important, so I am looking for interesting shapes in the negative space, or at least thinking about how I can create brushstrokes, pattern, or color in those areas to give my painting more life. I do enjoy some moments of calm, but within that calm, I would love to have one little ‘payoff’ moment as the viewer gets close to the piece – maybe that ends up being just a wonderful descriptive mark, or just a change in color temperature that might be unexpected.
Abstraction is something you’re trying to push in your new work, especially in the way you depict figures. How do you approach trying to incorporate a new style? Can you articulate what you’re finding so compelling about abstraction right now?
Yes, I do love abstract work and I feel that I have never been able to capture pure abstraction successfully so I am trying to continue to develop my style, which I hope is ever-evolving, by creating a looser drawing and painting through that initial sketch, and making bigger, thicker brushstrokes that hint at form without describing it perfectly. I think there is so much beauty in a painting where the viewer's eye is able to fill in information that the piece is missing- with intention.
We're looking forward to hosting your Pet Portrait workshop in April! Given that you have extensive experience teaching workshops, what advice would you give to someone who’s just starting their painting journey and looking to further their artistic practice?
My number one piece of advice is to keep going. We all get discouraged, I still do, and that is an appropriate feeling that is part of the learning process, as it should be across the board, in any field. I always compare painting to playing a musical instrument. You have to practice every day, even when you are at the top of your game, musicians are still picking up their tools daily, practicing. The same goes for painting. And carve out a space to be creative in, that allows you to leave all of your materials out and in the open, maybe messy if you’d like, that you can walk away from when you need a break!
