About Me
Hi there! Thank you for taking the time to visit my website! I’m Sam Michelle, an acrylic, watercolor, and alcohol ink artist from Orlando, Florida. Ever since I discovered my love for creating with these mediums, I have maintained a passion for sharing their beauty with the world. I often incorporate gold or silver metallic effects into my work to give each piece a special shine. Continue reading below to learn a bit about me.
From a hobby to a business.
I started making art for fun during my last few years in college. I used it as a joyful way to relax, but little did I know, it would turn into so much more.
I started out with digital art for a bit, but it didn’t take me long to transition to the mediums with which I would fall in love. My journeys with traditional mediums began quite similarly: I came across random photos of other artists’ work with these mediums on Instagram, thought they were incredibly beautiful, and rushed over to Amazon to purchase the materials to get started with them on my own. I’m self taught through time, experiments, and old-fashioned trial & error. I started posting my work on Instagram, and I thought that would be the extent of my art hobby—until 2021 when a good friend of mine invited me to work a little convention with him… It was a small event called MegaCon.
He let me use half of his table to show my work (thank you, Jordan!), and the feedback I got from people was overwhelming in the best way possible. To my shock, my art was praised and purchased. The heartwarming compliments and support I got from complete strangers fueled my desire to create even more. I now knew that there was a market for me to get involved in. I booked my first booth at WasabiCon 2021, and I have since booked several conventions and markets, worked commissions for people that have met me in person and also those who (surprisingly) found me by word of mouth, and I have met so many kind and beautiful souls along the way. The more I put myself out there, the more opportunities that are presenting themselves. It is taking a lot of constant work, and I often find that 24 hours in a day are not enough, but I have been loving every moment of this journey. This is only the beginning, but I look forward to sharing my creations as I keep moving forward!
My focus.
My experiments with alcohol ink have given me a sense of inspiration and purpose that I haven’t felt before. There’s no reference to follow. No pressure to make something look “just right”. I just let the colors and emerging emotions guide the creation of the pieces… and I love it! That being said, for my watercolor and acrylics paths, I’ve also come to understand that I enjoy painting people and capturing their emotions. I no longer want to paint people just to practice painting people. I am on a journey of learning to capture their memories of certain moments and feelings in my art. I enjoy painting weddings, parents with their newborns—moments of happiness. I appreciate the patience and detail that go into showing the essence of the moment, whatever it may be. I look forward to sharing my creations in these mediums and hope that they draw some kind of feeling from you as they do from me.
A girl with endless hobbies.
Art definitely takes up most of my free time, but who says I can’t try to fit 5 or 6 other interests in there as well?
Aerial arts (silks and Lyra) and horseback riding are high enough on the list to where I try (and sometimes fail) to get them in weekly or bi-weekly. I have been doing silks since 2019 and Lyra since 2021. They are each an art on their own, full of grace, strength, and flexibility. For riding, I found a trainer for hunter-jumper in late 2021, and quickly fell in love with the gorgeous animals and their gentle nature. I enjoy the time I get to spend grooming, tacking, riding, and bonding with the horses. I also try to periodically find the time for calm trail rides throughout the year.
Following close behind in third place is language learning. In questo momento, sto imparando l’italiano! I find languages to be interesting and I hope to gain fluency in several over the coming years, with Italian, Japanese, and French being the first few to learn.
For the remaining interests, in no specific order, I dabble in piano, read fantasy novels and participate in a book club, and have dreams of traveling the world and painting my experiences along the way.