My name is Samantha Kotz and I am a mixed media artist from Adelaide, South Australia.
My childhood was filled with exposure to different types of art-making, including working with ceramics, drawing, painting and sewing. A gift of a camera opened up photography as a form of expression and this has become a lifelong love.
I went to university and studied to become an English teacher, working in high schools in the northern suburbs of Adelaide for almost eight years. During this time art remained a creative outlet, along with my love of open world video games.
A Change of Direction
After leaving teaching, I enrolled at UniSA to study art more formally, enrolling in the Bachelor of Contemporary Art. I had initially enrolled to study photography and jewellery. My studies exposed me to a wide range of disciplines, including kiln-formed glass, printmaking, sculpture and ceramics. I developed a love for working with a diverse range of materials.
During my final year of study, I had intended to focus on kiln-formed glass, however the COVID pandemic cut access to the kilns at the university. Needing to work from home, I started to experiment with polymer clay. This is a material that is malleable until baked in an oven at a low temperature, where it cures and hardens. I enjoyed the diverse moulding and sculpting opportunities (and colours!) that polymer clay offered. This allowed me to combine this with some of the techniques that I had learned from working with other media.
In 2022, I joined Top of the Torrens Gallery and the experience has allowed me to learn from our community of artists. Viewing the diverse range of works that our artists create inspires me each time I visit and I always enjoy seeing what’s new.
My practice is focused on experiments with shape, colour and texture. I find the natural world particularly inspiring and also have an interest in elements of pop culture.
Click on my images below to see a larger slideshow
Social Media Links
Website: https://samanthakotz.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SamanthaKotz.Art
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/samanthakotz.art/
Threads: https://www.threads.net/@samanthakotz.art