'Welcome To My World' debut exhibition - paintings by Sam RB

'Welcome To My World' debut exhibition - paintings by Sam RB

After releasing three albums, writing the New Zealand Olympic Song and four years living as a singer songwriter, Auckland resident Sam RB is swapping her plectrum for a paintbrush.

Nine months of creativity has culminated in Sam RB’s first solo exhibition - on twenty canvases and three acoustic guitars - called, ‘Welcome To My World’.

Sam RB is more well-known for her music than her visual art, and ironically started doodling while on her 2014 North Island ‘Finding Your Way Home’ tour. She hasn’t stopped.

“Doodling to kill time has led to 12-to-15-hour days of painting,” she says. ”I feel like I’ve been working on these paintings subconsciously my whole life, and now I have this opportunity to finally create and share them.”

Her brightly coloured canvases feature villas and bungalows, volcanoes, tree houses, lighthouses and guitars. She paints flocks of blue-footed boobies with prosthetic wings, because she believes we are all broken but we can still fly. There are also tui and fantails with no colour, because they’ve leeched their colour into their surroundings.

Sam RB’s art is influenced by her music, as well as her lived experience of mental distress, as she explores the world of multiple selves and internal chaos. Yet the images remain uniquely expressive, as she reflects on experiences that speak to the human condition.

“Thanks to significant support during my decade in the mental health system, and some hard work on my part, I now experience the world in a very different way,” Sam says. “But you don't forget the places you've been, the experiences you've survived and the people who have shown you kindness.

“I'm proud to have my first solo art exhibition at Toi Ora Gallery, a community art space that provided me support and a 'pause button' for several years during my journey through madness. It is a journey that is important to acknowledge.”

As a self taught artist, Sam RB was uncertain how her art would be received, but posting pictures of her paintings on Facebook has led to fans, sales and commissions for her vibrant, meticulously constructed works.

Her inaugural ‘Welcome To My World’ exhibition opens at Toi Ora Gallery, 6 Putiki St, Grey Lynn on Tuesday 6 October, 5.30pm – 8.00pm, and runs until 30 October.

On Saturday 10 October at 1.30pm, Sam RB will also be giving an artist talk at Toi Ora Gallery as part of Artweek Auckland.

ENDS

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