Samantha Dennison knows what it’s like to have a busy life. She has three daughters (two of them twins) and things can get a bit crazy in her household. But nestled near a window, in a light-filled corner and sitting quietly on a plinth, are small clusters of carefully arranged objects. A delicate clay bowl, a small vase and several sprigs of flora create a corner of calmness amongst the chaos.
It’s this pursuit of stillness and space, this quietness and calm that underpins Samantha’s art. And, while she does have a dedicated studio, outside her house, each painting starts its life by her living room window.
Samatha, who was a high school art teacher before moving to regional WA more than a decade ago, chooses her still life subjects with great care. Her assortment of flowers have been gifted or collected via sanctioned raids to neighbourhood gardens and she uses vessels she has either made herself or purchased from other local potters.
Works by Samantha Dennison. Images courtesy of the artist.
“I choose a small number of items and play with their placement over a number of weeks, even months,” Samantha explains. “I observe them as the light changes and swap things in and out until I’m happy with the result. I’m seeking balance, in space and shape, and it’s just as much about the space and shape around the objects as it is about the objects themselves. When things are in the right place they appear centred and grounded.”
Once Samantha has achieved the desired composition she photographs it; freezing the light and composition in time. She then works from the photograph when she relocates to her studio to start painting. She prefers to work this way as a photograph gives her the freedom to return to a composition time and time again as she fits her painting sessions around the edges of her busy life.
Just as important as composition is light and it’s this delicate pairing that makes Samantha’s work so captivating. If composition is Queen; luminosity is definitely King.
“I paint with oils and before I start painting the objects I underpaint the canvas with a burnt sienna colour which is a deep red-brown and this creates a warm base to the painting. Doing this helps me anchor the composition on the canvas but it also allows the colour to ‘glow’ through all the subsequent layers of paint. It gives an essence of uniformity to the work and the underpainted colour peeks out in the places that the other paint colours don’t cover. It’s also because I love colours with rich, reddish tones.”
When it comes to painting the objects onto the canvas, Samantha keeps the paint layers light and thin.
“Thin layers allow the light to show through; they add luminosity. When you get up close to the painting you can see the layers and the tiny details that make the painting literally glow. I’m always walking that fine line between patchy and luminescence.”
Samantha’s final touches are then made by applying a customised varnish which she mixes to suit the amount of gloss she wants to achieve.
It is this combination of talent and technique that has led Samantha to become an artist in demand. She’s won numerous art prizes and several of her pieces are held in private and public collections. Samantha was also a finalist in this year’s national ‘Ravenswood Australian Women’s Art Prize’.
There’s no doubt that the popularity of Samantha’s work shows that paintings portraying stillness and calm provide a much sought after contrast to a world that’s often overflowing with clutter and chaos.
Samantha’s next solo exhibition will be at Perth’s prestigious Linton and Kay Gallery in October 2023.
