Growing Shapes and Centers of Energy, 1984 – 92

In 1985, the artist started viewing the traditional rectangular frame as inept for asbtraction. This led to large paintings as installations on walls as well as unconventional artist’s books.

She began with a series of paintings placed directly on the walls of her studio, placing them over scattered rectangles of stapled canvas hung at various angles. A sense of unrestricted movement was created.

Radial Energy I, 1989, Acrylic on canvas, 106 x 165 cm

Autumn Leaves and Cities Blocks, 1982 – 83

During her time teaching at Yale in the 1970s, Samia was taken by the colors of the autumn leaves on New England trees. She would gather fallen leaves and dissect them into rectangles, creating small compositions. She came to the conclusion that her paintings had to mirror the aspect of growth and decay in leaves, in order to match their beauty. Therefore, Samia seeks to capture the natural life cycle through abstraction.

Untitled, 1982, Oil on Masonite, 60 x 60 cm

Fan Tail, 1982, Oil on canvas, 60 x 60 cm