Bohemia Village Voice

Samantha Monaghan

Samantha Monaghan of Bohemia Road has been selling her paintings since the age of sixteen. She says “I’m a born artist. I can’t imagine ever not doing it. My father was an artist. I’ve been drawing ever since I was a child.”
Samantha did an art & design course ten years ago at Ealing Tertiary College, but in the main she is self-taught and has developed her talent by long practice. Formerly from Hounslow, London, she moved to Hastings eight years ago, and works part-time for the Visionary Soap Company, which makes organic soap. “The rest is my own time to pursue my art.” she says . In a busy life with three children,  Samantha finds her art, “very meditative, very Zen. It focuses you.”
Samantha works in acrylics and also draws in pencil and colour pencil. She specialises in portraits, which form the bulk of her commissions, but also does a wide range of other subjects. “If you give me a photo I can copy it, whatever it is.” she says. Her  personal compositions are often spirit art; angels, fairies and goddesses
She has also been a street artist, sketching people’s portraits in the street both in London and the Old Town, and creates greeting cards and posters.
When Samantha worked for Virgin Records she painted a portrait of Boy George as a present for a friend who worked in the production department. “She took it to him and he really liked it. It was quite a bit of an ego-boost.”

Part of Samantha Monaghans Green Tara