Sammy Veall Paints Life’s Beautiful Moments
Shaped by food, memory and a love of faraway places, Melbourne-based artist Sammy Veall captures the joy she finds in life’s small, beautiful moments.
Words HANDE RENSHAW Photos MITCH FONG
Mussels, tomatoes and Prawns by Sammy Veall.
‘The main emotion I try to evoke in my paintings is freedom – I think this is something that I’ve always been searching for in my life,’ says Melbourne-based artist Sammy Veall.
Dancing with Magnolias by Sammy Veall.
“In my work I try and capture all the little nuances of a moment of travel – a painting of a table setting in Greece with olive trees, wine and seafood is so much more than that.”
‘[I reset with] a painting workshop, a day of cooking, a pottery class or lots of yoga.’
Mellow Medusa by Sammy Veall.
‘I get three days a week to paint, which sometimes turns into two or one! So making the change [from oil to acrylic paint] has enabled me to work more efficiently.’
Sifnos Lemons by Sammy Veall.
A table set for lunch, wine beneath olive trees, the heat of the sun and the little nuances of travel are recurring themes in Sammy Veall’s paintings, drawn from the places, meals and memories that shape her practice.
A self-taught artist and mother of two young boys, Sammy grew up on a farm near Albury, where creating came naturally from a young age. Painting remained a thread throughout her life, although it was during Melbourne’s COVID lockdowns that her passion shifted into something more.
‘During COVID my studio closed for a total of 18 months over two years and during this time I painted six hours a day to emotionally distract myself. After this it was a natural progression to sell the studio and to become a full time artist.’
Before painting full-time, Sammy spent a decade teaching yoga and running her own studio. Today, her practice moves between motherhood and the studio, with food and the rituals surrounding it becoming recurring subjects in her paintings.
‘I love food and I love cooking, I love everything about it. I love the veggie garden and seeing it grow, I love the process of chopping and cooking, but my favourite part is sharing it with others.’
That joy in feeding people, gathering around a table and sharing a meal sits at the heart of Sammy’s work.
‘My mum tells me that I am a feeder, which I love to hear because I know the Italians and Greeks are feeders and I adore their cultures! I find a tablescape so peaceful to look at because it reminds me of shared meals, conversations around the table, friends, family. All the good things.’
Travel is a constant source of inspiration, with Greece, Italy and Mexico particularly influential in the colours, food and way of life that find their way into Sammy’s paintings. ‘The colour palette of Greece is my favourite and I love getting lost in the sea of blue.’
For Sammy, these places also reflect a different way of moving through the day. ‘The main emotion I try to evoke in my paintings is freedom, and I think this is something that I have always been searching for in my life.’
Rather than recreating a destination literally, Sammy is interested in the feeling attached to it – the sense of stepping outside the usual pace of work, home and responsibility. ‘It’s the feeling of enjoying, rather than rushing. Something we don’t often give ourselves when we are at home.’
People are another recurring subject, particularly older faces that suggest lives richly lived. ‘You can see the story of their life written in the lines on their face. There is so much character and also a lot of mystery.’
Sammy is currently completing portraits for Rachel Donath’s new Hawksburn Village store alongside Pranzo di Mare, a solo exhibition centred around her home and a party held there last November. She’s also waiting to hear back about an artist residency in Tuscany at Villa Lena, where her husband and boys would join her for two weeks. ‘The prospect of being all together in Italy while I paint for six hours a day is too much to think about!’
To stay up to date with Sammy Veall's work, visit her website or follow @veallart on Instagram.
