Today, we’d like to introduce you to Sami Lange.
Sami, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I have been making art seriously for 20 years now. My first show in a gallery was in 2004 and was a group printmaking exhibit.
I was still a college student, getting my BFA in Printmaking. Right around that time, I developed my love of dyeing paper and the intricate and detailed texture that can come from immersing paper in colored water baths.
My formal training is in printmaking, but over the last twenty years, the work has fully evolved into creating larger stitched paper works.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
I don’t know if I would use the word smooth with much of my art career. My career has been very fulfilling, challenging, scary, exciting, and full of constant change. I am grateful my work has continued to evolve, and my creativity and ideas continue to flow and evolve regularly. My surroundings deeply impact me, and my work has taken on Arizona landscape texture and color since moving to Phoenix in 2020 (the literal day everything shut down for the pandemic).
Every 6 or 7 years, I completely clear out my studio. It’s never a plan; it just happens, and then I realize it was along that timeline. I sold, gave away, and ‘recycled’ nearly 60 pieces of artwork last week. My studio walls are pretty empty. I saved five larger pieces, placed them in my flat files, and archived some of my work for my records. The rest of the studio is completely cleared out and ready for a fresh start. This process is essential for my growth as an artist and lets me put an end to the series and projects I have been continuing for years.
After these times of clearing, I see huge pivots of growth in my use of color and the construction I use to build my art. As I enter my empty studio this week, I envision a new 7ft. x 7ft. paper quilt that will take several months to draft, cut, dye, and stitch together. The upcoming summer will be full of using Spring texture and color inspiration and making BIG paper quilts.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am a paper artist who cuts, dyes, tapes, and stitches thousands of pieces together to create large, visually colorful abstract artworks. I spend much time standing over a sink, mixing water dyes, and testing colors before immersing paper in water baths for hours, sometimes days.
Then, after the drying process has ended, I start laying out the works in patterns and color gradients until I have the pieces in the right place. Small hand-cut squares, triangles, and circles get taped down and hand stitched together. At the end of the weeks or months, the paper quilts are flipped to reveal a colorful, textural artwork.
Are any books, apps, podcasts, or blogs that help you do your best?
I am a heavy reader and podcast listener. My go-to podcast list includes Beyond the Studio, Creative Pep Talk, and We Regret to Inform You. These get listened to on walks for color and texture inspiration and in the studio during stitching time.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.samilangeart.com
- Instagram: @samilangeart
- Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/sami-lange-31ab2120
Image Credits
Sami Lange
