Studio
Studio visits are welcome, please call or email to make an appointment.
Lethbridge, Victoria
25 mins from Geelong - 60 mins from Melbourne
Phone 0429 487 721
Email samantha@samanthathompson.com.au
BIOGRAPHY – Samantha Thompson (nee Biddle)
Born 1978 - Sydney, Australia (Parents from CA, USA)
“I do art because I get pleasure from doing it, or I have to do it, or I need to do it, or I want to do it. I do it basically for myself,” Terry Fox (1943-2008)
Award winning artist, Samantha is a professional multidisciplinary contemporary artist and arts worker situated in regional Victoria. Growing up in the family fashion business exposed her to a myriad of business and creative opportunities from an early age. This entailed representing a fashion label overseas and developing product shoots and international product campaigns. Having this experience early helped Samantha to run and manage her own art career which has spanned over 20 years, which includes 13 solo exhibitions and numerous Australian and International exhibitions and Art Fairs.
Death, domestic arts and feminist themes are continued favourites in Samantha’s repertoire, in which her favourite media is currently printmaking and mixed media. Samantha uses found objects and regularly recycles paper work, building up and tearing down layers to create stories in her pieces.
A passionate community arts advocate in regional Victoria, Samantha works with the surrounding local Councils as an artist and arts worker. Working for local government as an Arts and Culture Officer for several years, Samantha worked with the community to deliver a range of community lead creative projects, having a special interest in Youth, Children’s programs and public art. This position further entrenched the relationships with state government and non for-profit arts organisations. For many years Samantha has embraced the need for mentoring emerging artists, and regularly runs workshops in arts development and studio arts from her country studio.
Samantha studied at RMIT in 2008 to further her education within the arts – majoring in weave and screen-printing (Bachelor of Textile Design) In 2020 she will return to study at Melbourne University, Graduate Certificate in Visual Art, with the intention of starting a Masters of Contemporary Art the following year.
Her last solo exhibition featured bastardised linocuts, cut and distorted that explore feminist themes and domestic history, she exhibited this collection in Japan, the U.K., and Melbourne. Samantha has just concluded her 13th solo exhibition at Tacit Contemporary Art, Melbourne in 2019 and is currently working towards her new exhibition in Napier at the beginning of 2020 showcasing her series ‘Hypnosis’.
Associations
The BOP Arts co-op – Founding Director and Member
NAVA (National Australian Visual Arts) Member
Regional Arts Victoria – Member
Fire Station Print studio and gallery - Member
Australia Print Council – Member
Education
2010 - Bachelor of Studio Textile Design - RMIT
2020 - Graduate Certificate in Visual Art - Melbourne University
Community Arts/Culture Projects
2020 April - Creators Art Trail and workshops with Ballarat Council.
2020 Jan+ - Individual Art Therapy with Helping Hero’s Therapy Services
2020 May - Geelong After Dark, Women tail art walk with Geelong Council.
2020 April - Youth Week projection art exhibition with Golden Plains Shire.
2019 Dec - 12 Days of Christmas windows with Ballarat Council.
2019 June - Winter Art trail “Winter Arts festival” with Ballarat Council.
2019 Jan - The BOP Arts Co Op annual Art Exhibition and yearly workshops.
Solo Exhibitions
2020 Jun - Walker Street Gallery, Dandenong, VIC - “Luna“
2020 Mar – Creative Arts Napier, Napier, NZ -“Hypnosis ”
2019 Sep - Knox Immerse, Knox City, VIC - “Solitaire”
2019 Aug - Tacit Galleries, Collingwood, VIC - “Hypnosis ”
2019 Mar - Barn Gallery, Montsalvat, Eltham, VIC - Recent Works
2018 Apr - Tokyo International Art Fair, Tokyo, Japan - “Object Impressions”
2017 Mar - Unicorn Lane Gallery, Ballarat, VIC - “Object”
2015 Oct - “I Dream in Colour” - Fire Station Print Gallery - Armadale, VIC
2014 Oct - Little Creatures, Geelong, VIC – Recent works
2012 Oct - MAD Gallery, VIC - “MOD”
2010 - Samantha Thompson Studio, Geelong, VIC - “Love and tragedy under the big top”
2010 - The White Room Gallery, Brunswick, VIC - “Retrospective”
2009 - The Convent Gallery, Daylesford, VIC - “Light and Dark”
2008 - Collective Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC – Recent works
2008 - Territories Colours Gallery, Darwin, NT - “Colour Me”
2007 - Fringe Festival, Melbourne, VIC - “Pastels and Pearls”
2005 - St. Kilda, VIC - “Postcards from Hawaii”
2003 - Brunswick Gallery, Melbourne, VIC - “A Star is Born”
Selected Group Shows
2020
April - May - Belconnen Arts Centre -”F A C E Unframed” - Canberra
May - Queenscliff Gallery - Queenscliff, VIC - “Human Emotion Print Exchange and Exhibition” -Selected artist
2019
Nov – EGAG WRAP, Bainsdale, VIC - “Small Artwork Prize”
Nov - Shearers Arms Gallery, Geelong, VIC - “Printmakers exhibition” Peoples choice award
Nov - Blue Mountain Printmaker Exhibition, Glenbrook, NSW - “BMCAC Print Prize”
Oct - Buninyong Art Prize and Exhibition, Ballarat, VIC
Oct - Albert Park College, Melbourne, VIC – “The Albert Park College Art Show” - Selected artist
Oct - FPS RELIEF PRINT Exhibition “Home” with WEA Sydney, Mount Gambia, SA - “NSW & Thumbprint Workshop Inc”
Sep - Sydney Contemporary, Carriageworks, Sydney – Represented Firestation Print Studio Artist
Sep - Knox Immerse, Ferntree Gully, VIC - “Solitaire” - Selected artist
May - The Other Art Fair, Kensington, Melbourne, VIC
Mar - F Project Gallery, Warrnambool, VIC - “2019 South West International Women’s Day Art Prize” - Finalist
2018
Oct - Parallax Art Fair, Chelsea, London - Exhibitor
Sep - Tussock Upstairs Gallery, Point Lonsdale, Victoria
Jun - Waverly Art Prize, Bondi, Sydney
May - FPS at II Bisonte, Firestation Print Gallery, Florence, Italy
May - Tokyo International Art Fair, Tokyo, Japan - Exhibitor
Mar - Wyndham Art Prize 2018, Werribee, VIC - Finalist
2017
Nov - Summer Salon 2017, Armadale, VIC
Nov - Hornsby Art Prize, Hornsby, NSW – Finalist - Honourable mention for Printmaking
Nov - Art Piece Gallery, Mullumbimby, NSW - “30x30 Art Prize”
Nov - National Still Life Awards, Coffs Harbour, NSW – Finalist (work acquired by Gallery)
Oct - 42nd Martin Hanson Memorial Art Awards, Gladstone, QLD - (Both pieces acquired by gallery, “Treasures” and “Jimble Jamble”)
Sep - Gippsland Print Awards, Sale, VIC
Oct - Art of the Minds Exhibition, Aireys Inlet, VIC
Aug - Flanagan Art Exhibition, Ballarat, VIC - Finalist
Jul - Waverley Art Prize, Bondi, NSW - Finalist and Winner - Print Section
Feb - Backspace Gallery, Ballarat, VIC - “Dogs in Art”
Jan - Sally Walker Project Space, Geelong, VIC - “On Water”
2016
Dec - Bannockburn Cultural Centre, Bannockburn, VIC
Sep - Bellarine Print Prize, VIC
Aug - Firestation Print Studio Remote Members Exhibition, VIC
Jun - Cardwell Art Prize, QLD
Jun - Leonora Art Prize, WA
May - John Shaw Neilson Art Prize, SA
2015 to 2000
2015 - Derinya Art and Craft Exhibition, VIC
2015 - Beth Hulme Gallery, Fitzroy, VIC - “Collage Exhibition”
2014 - Firestation Print Studio, Armadale, VIC - “Summer Salon”
2014 - Artboy Gallery, Prahran, VIC - “Fanboy vs ArtBoy - 7 Deadly Sins”
2014 - Firestation Print Studio, Armadale, VIC - “FEDERATION SQUARE Exhibition”
2014 - Ficifolia Festival Art Show, Drouin, VIC
2013 - Derinya Art and Craft Exhibition, VIC
2013 - St Joseph’s College Art Expo, VIC
2012 - Wool Museum, Geelong, VIC - “Streets are alive”
2012 - Parallax Art Fair, Chelsea Town Hall, London
2012 - Art Expo Sydney, Sydney, NSW
2012 - City Library Gallery, Melbourne, VIC
2012 – Exhibition Centre, Brisbane, QLD - Art Expo
2012 - Derinya Art and Craft Exhibition
2012 - St Joseph’s College - Art Expo
2011 – Pier 92, New York - Art Expo
2010 - Art at Watergarden, Geelong, VIC - “Icon”
2010 - Month Albert, Melbourne, VIC - “Group Show”
2009 - Pigment Gallery, Melbourne, VIC - “Black and White, Shades of Grey”
2009 - R.M.I.T Brunswick Campus, Melbourne, VIC - “R.M.I.T Group Show”
2009 - Palm House Gallery, Sydney, NSW - “Out of the Blue”
2008 - Caulfield Race Course, Melbourne, VIC - “Chairs for Charity”
2008 - Guangzhou International Art Fair, China
2007 - Exhibition Centre, Melbourne, VIC - “Melbourne Art Show”
2007 - Kingston Arts Centre, Melbourne, VIC - “Out in the South”
2006 - Kingston Arts Centre, Melbourne, VIC - “Gifted”
2005 - Dandenong, VIC - “She Who Inspires” - Finalist
2003-2008 - Linden Gallery, Melbourne, VIC - “Postcard Show”
2001 - London, U.K - “Art Contest” - Excellence Award
2000 - First Light Art Show, Napier, New Zealand