With much of her early work centered solely on the outcome, Sam found herself spending much of her time in the concept stage, chasing the ever elusive magnificence of the perfect idea. As she’s grown in her practice, she is becoming more at ease with the vulnerability of this liminal space between the initial idea and it’s final form both as it relates to the the creative process and to herself as a person moving through life at all its stages. Her work is a visual representation of this lifelong creative process and considers the constantly shifting nature of inspiration from its inception to its ultimate consumption. Through color and texture, she illustrates how these thoughts and ideas are ever changing and ultimately how individual pieces may influence and compete with one another to be the sole focus of our actions. The interactive nature of her tufted works refers back to the vulnerability of creating as a reminder that once our work as artists has left our hands we have little control over how it is interpreted and experienced by others.

Sam Lao is a multidisciplinary artist based in Dallas, TX. Despite being dubbed early on in life as a creative child Lao spent much of her upbringing trying to find a more “acceptable” career path. A UTA graduate with a BFA in Visual Communications Lao worked with multiple artistic mediums post graduation, most notably painting and music before turning to fiber art in 2020 in an effort to combat the isolation of the global pandemic which lead her to tufting. Lao’s practice explores the interaction between color, texture and pattern as they relate to the constant flow of creating and the actions required to bring thought to fruition. This process considers the ever shifting nature of an idea from its inception to its ultimate consumption. Through her craft she examines the abstract nature of what it means to be creative. Having been reprimanded many times in her youth for getting too close to the artwork during museum visits the tactile qualities of Lao’s current work subverts the old adage of ‘do not touch the artwork’ by inviting the viewer to do just that and in turn making a visual experience a physical one as well. Between crafting her own works Sam teaches the skill of tufting to others interested in learning the technique.