Hi, I’m Samsang.
I’m a painter, teacher, and lifelong maker of things — mostly involving cats, sheds, sketchbooks, or unexpected colour combinations. I live and work in Rusper, Sussex, in the house I was born in — and in a studio that used to be a stable, built by my dad and grandad from scavenged wood. I rebuilt it during lockdown with my 78-year-old mum (at the time). (Yes, we plasterboarded the ceiling ourselves.) My artwork is inspired by everyday life — the joy of it, the weirdness of it, and the strange poetry found in small moments. I paint what I love: cats expression, a corner of my garden, the colour of a greenhouse roof in spring light. I work mostly in gouache and watercolour. I like their flatness, brightness, and honesty. I make my own sketchbooks, and carry them everywhere — I believe art happens in the doing, not in the waiting.
On teaching, cats, and coming home
I have a BA Hons in Fine Art and a Postgraduate Certificate in Education. I’ve taught art to all ages — including adults and young people with additional needs. I love helping others build confidence in their creativity, especially people who think they’re “not artistic.” I gently (but firmly) challenge that belief. I spent over two decades living in Buddhist communities in the UK and Spain. In Menorca, I looked after cat colonies — and came home with five unforgettable rescue cats, who now run my Sussex studio. You’ll spot them in quite a few paintings. My favourite artists are David Hockney, Mary Fedden, and Eric Ravilious — people who showed us the world through a lens of curiosity and colour. I want my work to feel like a pause, a permission, or a small gift. Not deeply profound. Just… space to breathe.
Why I make art
(and why I believe you can too)
I make art to notice.
To remember.
To feel less overwhelmed.
I don’t chase perfection. There’s no perfect painting.
That’s the point.
When I let go of the idea that it has to be “good,” I can just do.
That’s where the joy lives.
I believe:
