My name is Sam, and I have worked in the Canadian animation industry for 10+ years, as a colour key artist, background painter and matte painter. I graduated in 2007 with a B.A. in Animation from Sheridan College and am currently working on Season 3 of Dino Ranch as a Matte Painter.

I've been working on pet portraits since 2000 with various mediums like coloured pencil and watercolour. It wasn't until I used pastel for my dog Mieka's portrait, that I decided to focus solely on pastel for portraiture. I love the magical qualities that the pure pigment of the pastel has as you draw with it on the paper. I also love the battle of creating a painting that captures the pet completely, and do my best to make sure the finished portrait is the best that it can be. When I lost my amazing heart horse Lance in 2018, I was gifted a portrait of him, and it was such a special gesture at an incredibly difficult time. I want to try my best to make sure the portraits I paint for people are as well received and special as the one I was gifted.

I'm an animal lover, equestrian, and avid dessert enthusiast. I have an amazing little family with my husband Josh and our puppy/raptor/mountain goat, Beatrice (who we call Beetie). In my spare time Beetie and I love to do agility lessons.