ABOUT

Sammy Koh was born in Seoul, Korea, in 1976, raised in a middle-class family that encouraged her artistic abilities. She demonstrated artistic talent as a child and entered Sun-wha Art High School, where she learned all the techniques that she needed to perfect her talent. Attending school for graphic design at Seoul National University in Korea, she continued taking classes of fine arts. She always held a dream to be an artist and worked as an illustrator before immigrating to the US in 2009 with her family. Once they arrived, her focus was on her son and daughter, who were five and three years old at the time. She has created a community around her in Palo Alto. She began teaching art classes since 2019. Many of her students are also immigrants and mothers of grown children rediscovering the joy of making art for themselves. When she introduced her art class to landscapes, there was a rush of positive feedback. In March 2020, as the pandemic cancelled her classes, she started to paint more landscapes. In addition to teaching others, Sammy contributes to the community that supported her journey as a Korean immigrant woman. In June 2020, Sammy led a workshop on Instagram marketing for her fellow Simple Steps artists. Her works in acrylic capture natural scenes in photo-like detail. Her art was influenced by her experience living in California, and her work includes the California beach and the skyscapes of the Bay Area. Her paintings reveal her fascination in the colors of the Californian atmosphere.

ARTIST STATEMENT

My practice is a process in which memory and imagination grow together. Memory is never static; through continuous reflection and transformation, it becomes a force that sustains my present life. By letting go of what no longer serves me and preserving what remains meaningful, the work gradually begins to carry a quiet yet genuine sense of hope.

During my travels, I follow the light, as if guided by an unseen force. These fleeting moments of beauty create a desire to preserve them, becoming the starting point of my paintings. When I am alone with the canvas, it becomes a quiet and intimate space where memory is gently reformed, and where I find moments of rest.

The creative process requires time and patience. Through repeated adjustments and careful rendering, I seek to faithfully convey my inner experience, allowing the work to become not just a representation of landscape, but an extension of emotion.

I once believed these moments were solitary, but I have come to realize that the light I follow has always been with me. Unknowingly, I have been creating spaces where I can rest with the light—gathering small, gentle glows within the paintings.

Entering these quiet spaces, you may also find a moment of your own—a place to sit with your memories and simply be.