Hi, I’m Samantha Quiroz,
I am married to my high school sweetheart and we have three beautiful children together. Growing up, I wanted to become an artist, I loved art and remember so vividly the first time I used oil pastels with my great grandmother. She is the one who gave me such a passion for art. Life happened, and my career went a different direction.
I’ve always dabbled with watercolors and different mediums, but being a busy mom, I slowly lost the drive to create. In 2020, after having our third baby, my husband losing his job, and a move from Texas, back to our home state of Mississippi, I fell into a deep postpartum depression. I had completely lost myself.
I realized one day, while painting watercolors with my oldest daughter, that creating art was bringing me light in the darkness, even if it was at my kitchen table surrounded by my toddlers, goldfish and Lego pieces. Just putting a brush to paper lit a spark in me, that had been smothered years ago. I felt hope.
I had only painted with acrylics and watercolors, never with oil paints, but always wanted to. Any time I went to an art show, the texture and richness of oils always pulled me in.
Christmas of 2020, my husband surprised me with a set of paints and mediums and an easel. It was such an instant love. On my hardest days, you could find me in my sunroom, painting away. I’ve always been drawn to nature, and painting those beautiful parts of our natural world brought me so much peace. It was my escape. The world around me was chaotic, but for the first time in a long time, my mind was quiet.
These paintings are a piece of my journey in finding myself, and finding stillness. My hope is that they bring as much peace to you, as it does for me. -Sam
