As a painter, I am fascinated by the way light, weather and seasons play out upon the natural landscape. I experience the landscape as interconnected layers that dance and vibrate in a state of constant flux. The strength of the wind against the tall grasses; the rain clouds obscuring the mountains tops, the coastal flowers being shaken by an incoming easterly. These dynamic and exciting exchanges are what fuel my work.
Scale and contrast also inspire my mark-making and compositions. Larges areas of poured ink suggest vast skies, whilst pastel scribbles and thicker layers are responses to smaller, delicate forms such as grasses, leaves or flowers.
All my paintings begin outdoors, where I work on large-scale paper with inks and acrylics. Each mark is a direct response to that particular moment. I work quickly and expressively to capture the changing nature of the place. It’s an intensely physical process of pouring, dripping and splashing the paint as I build up the layers. Back in the studio, I add pastel marks and smaller further details to bring contrast and definition to the final piece.
Sam Boughton lives and works from her studio in Teignmouth, South Devon. She received a BA in Illustration from UWE and an MA in Illustration from the Cambridge School of Art. Sam worked as a book illustrator for Tate Gallery, Penguin and OUP before becoming a full time painter.
Her semi-abstract landscape paintings are a visual response to her natural surroundings. She uses dynamic compositions to create a sense of space, echoing that of the wide open spaces found here in Devon.
Through the use of expressive mark making she captures the movement and energy of weather and seasons, whilst her use of strong colour suggests a dramatic sense of place.
Sam received The Brownston Gallery Award for Painting at the South West Academy Open Exhibition 2020.