Sam Chappell is a Portland-based painter whose contemporary acrylic landscapes capture the energy and emotion of place through bold color and expressive brushwork. Raised in New England, Sam has long felt a deep attachment to both the coast and the wooded trails further inland—scenes that continue to inspire her work today.With a Bachelor’s degree in Art History focused on the Renaissance, Sam first explored art through scholarship rather than practice. Though deeply engaged with the study of art, she never imagined becoming a painter herself and instead built a career in nonprofit fundraising and the corporate world. During the pandemic in 2020, Sam began painting as a creative outlet, and what started as an experiment soon grew into a daily painting practice. At first, she worked from travel photographs; later, she expanded to landscapes drawn from coastal explorations and hikes in the Western Carolinas, where she was living at the time.Since moving to Maine in the summer of 2023, Sam has pursued painting full-time. Her process often begins with a vibrant red underpainting, layered with loose, impressionistic strokes that bring each composition to life. She relies on a play of colors and expressive brushstrokes to capture not just how a place looks, but how it feels—“alive, a bit magical, calming, and restless.”Whether painting coastal Maine scenes, inland hiking paths, or memories of faraway travels, Sam describes her paintings as “love letters to my favorite places, records of where I’ve been, and places I dream of going.” Just as importantly, she hopes viewers form their own relationships and emotional attachments to these landscapes. Learn more about Sam Chappell on Radio Maine.