Prominent local mural artist Sam Hall was born and raised in Kiama and is known for his vibrant creations. Perhaps you have noticed the pink horses on Swamp Road, or the bluebird drinking the woman’s coffee at King’s Café in Jamberoo, or Sam’s collaboration with indigenous artist "Saltwater Dreamtime" at the Kiama Visitor’s Centre at the Blowhole, amongst many other locales.

His father, David Hall, was a well-known sport editor of the Kiama Independent for over 35 years, and his mother ran a small photography business. Both enjoyed a connection to the local community, a passion that Sam shares. 

Early life and artistic journey

Sam has explored different levels of art all his life. After leaving school, Sam created designs for himself, but it ramped up at age 24 when he formally studied graphic design. Since then, Sam has explored new types of art. It became an obsession. He says, “You have to be obsessed to survive as an artist.”

Sam was captivated when he discovered street art and graffiti. He said, “Street art is incredible – amazing! Without graffiti there would be no street art. Its foundation is people expressing themselves”.

Sam has never done graffiti himself but loves the typography. What drew him to his appreciation of street art is the fickle nature of it. Growing up as a perfectionist, he realised that mindset hindered his progress, so he learned to stop being precious and drop his attachment to ‘the rules’ in order to grow as an artist.

Artistic style and inspirations

When choosing what he wants to paint, Sam is drawn to vibrant colours, figures/people, flowers and nature and he is always thinking about what he wants to do next.

When Sam runs with his creative designs, he can produce works that he describes as “a gift to the public.” 

Clearly people respond to his passion, and Sam reveals that he loves it when people come up to him on the street and thank him for his work.

Commissions vs. creative freedom

Of course, many of Sam’s paintings are commissions, where a client has stipulated what they want him to portray. Council, schools, or cafes may want flora and fauna, or a commercial theme for example. However, he is increasingly pursuing projects that allow him creative freedom.  

Maintaining balance

Sam is an intensely positive person and says that creating art is a very personal experience and he loves doing it for how it makes him feel. He loves to travel around and the freedom from the nine-to-five that offers, but sometimes work pressure can build and he acknowledges the need to avoid burnout. This means slowing things down and Sam says, “I am always grateful to reset and realign with my values.”

To avoid creative burnout, Sam makes a conscious effort to focus on his practice and what he wants to produce. Sam is committed to finding a balance between commissioned work and personal creative time, “giving myself good free time and rest time and personal work and commission time.” If not, then it’s too easy to get swept up in the mundanities of life. That’s never a good thing for a creative who wants to fuel his internal fire.  

Favorite project and future plans

Sam’s favourite artwork is the one he did recently in Indonesia. He was invited to join international artists in Java to collaborate on a project. His subject was a local woman and he had only two days to complete the painting in stiflingly hot weather. Sam said, “The whole experience really helped to raise my confidence. It was the best time.”

Sam has plenty of work opportunities at present and will be gainfully employed until the end of the year. He said, “There are some cool things in the pipeline right now and some will be really big!” Watch this space.

Sam wants to create a community studio in the future and build a creative team. He also plans to travel overseas next year and see where the world takes him.