Sam Bishop grew up in New Mexico and has done mission work around the world. He has lived in Montana and on both coasts. Sam and his family recently settled in Jackson, MS, and are loving it. Original studying the performance arts and dabbling in film, he finished his schooling with a Bachelors of Fine Arts in Graphic Design with a Minor in Studio Art at New Mexico State University in Las Cruces, New Mexico. It wasn't until these college years, in his mid-twenties, that he found his love of drawing and oil painting. Living with mental illness, painting is therapeutic and helps him rise above and explore, not just the darkness in this world, but the overwhelming beauty and light. To Sam, this light juxtaposes the darkness, both literally and figuratively, and causes the viewer to see clearly the drama and hope that is part of every day life, that can often be overlooked. He desires that his paintings not only impart beauty but underlying hope, and with it peace.