A blog dedicated to

Art, Creativity, & Mental health

My creativity is tied deeply to my mental well being so it is easy for me to speak of them both in the same breath. Whether it is insight on my process, art tips for fellow creatives, or simply a mental health check in, I created this space to help others feel a little less alone in the world. Consider this a lantern in the dark.

Samantha Johnson 11/1/22 Samantha Johnson 11/1/22

5 Haunting Tales for Halloween | Part 3

The Fire Eater

Every year a carnival traveled to our little town for the Harvest Festival held at the end of October, and there was always a Fire Eater.

Samantha Johnson 10/20/22 Samantha Johnson 10/20/22

5 Haunting Tales for Halloween | Part 2

Grandma Kat’s Halloween Kittens

On the very edge of town there was a lovely little cottage that had been there for as long as anyone could remember.
It was home to an old woman and her array of cats, all of which stayed near as possible to her property and never seemed to cause any trouble.

Samantha Johnson 10/13/22 Samantha Johnson 10/13/22

5 Haunting Tales for Halloween | Part 1

The Girl on the Wooded Path

There was an old wooded path not far from my childhood home that led to a small family cemetery. Any descendants of the people buried there were long gone, but someone must have been paying a groundskeeper to maintain it.

Samantha Johnson 10/4/21 Samantha Johnson 10/4/21

Iconic Literature 2 | Ligeia & Titania

A Tale of Two Paintings

In this blog post I talk about my experimentation with painting watercolors on wood using Daniel Smith's Watercolor ground. I also cover the creative process of conceptualizing these two classic literature based fantasy illustrations, and my general experience with this ‘new to me’ technique. My subjects were Edgar Allan Poe's Ligeia, and Titania, the faerie queen from William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream.