This is one of her most recent public artworks, but there are more in Carvoeiro, as well as in Praia da luz, Burgau, and other locations in the Algarve and along the Silver coast. She has also travelled for mural commissions to Germany and Madeira, and next year, she has another work trip planned in the UK.

So how did Samantha’s journey begin? She moved to the Algarve together with her husband and their son five years ago, later followed by their daughter.

Samantha van der Westhuizen had always enjoyed creative work, starting out by refurbishing old furniture and selling her pieces at markets. With her husband’s encouragement, she slowly started expanding her creativity and painting canvases.

“He is my biggest supporter and also my biggest critic”, Samantha said with a laugh. “At the beginning we didn’t have any expectations, I just posted my work on social media and suddenly I had people asking if they could buy it.”

Inspiration

Her first inspiration came from colourful Portuguese doors and windows. One of her first buyers reached out to purchase a painting of an old door, because it reminded him of his grandmother’s house.

She started to paint murals after her friend asked her to paint a “vacation view” on a wall at her home. Now she paints murals for private homes, restaurants, and other establishments, transforming spaces with her vibrant colours.

After initial success, Samantha realised that there was a real audience for her art, and she decided to fully commit to the profession. Her main medium is acrylics, and to adapt to her client’s needs, she also creates little souvenirs, keychains or small format painting with motifs typical of the Algarve. She has even launched her own paintbrush range, which you can purchase, among other items, at Teias shop in the centre of Lagos or at the Etnoster gallery in Vilamoura. Samantha’s next exhibition will take place at the Fissul Pavilion in Silves in mid-November.

Wedding artistry

Another of her specialities is wedding artistry, she paints live wedding portraits. Booking her services for a wedding, you will get beautiful memory capturing the unique moments of your special day.

If you are interested in learning to paint with acrylic, Samantha’s workshops are designed to show you the fun part of creative process. You can contact her directly and book one of her very affordable sessions, alternatively she also organises daily workshops, and one on one sessions, which is a big advantage as normally for a workshop a group of people is required.

Samantha is truly versatile, and she also creates custom-made pieces, including hand-painted denim jackets and postcards. Among her signature works are birds, cats or dog portraits typically on a golden background which adds to the glamorous final look.

If you have an idea you would like to see brought to life on canvas (or even on clothing), Samantha is the artist to call.

To learn more about the artist, visit samanthavanderwesthuizen.art