Yeon Kwak’s photo
Steph Sammons drew 26 mythical creatures like Cipactri for her book.
S.Fortune teller, educator, author, set builder, airplane model designer. Although Steph Sammons won many titles throughout his life, he never thought of himself as an artist.
“For a long time, I didn’t consider myself a true artist because art was what I did when I couldn’t do what I was supposed to do,” says Sammons.
When she was younger, Sammons would describe herself as a “smart girl.” She took a full ride to Santa Clara University and had a double major to prove it. That all changed in 1993 when she was in a car accident during her sophomore year of college and suffered a traumatic brain injury. From her relearning to read and write to recently publishing her own artbook, Sammons has come a long way.
Summons mythical creature alphabet It’s a playful collection of paintings depicting mythical creatures from cultures around the world, with beasts inspired by her own life story. Though featured in four bookstores and two art galleries, Sammons said she never thought it would get so much attention and instead created the book as an ode to her own personal journey. Did.
“It was like going back to school,” she says. “I’ve been through so much that I wanted to be an A student again just to prove to myself that I could do it.”
The artist’s professional life leading up to this moment has been as eclectic as the creatures in her books.From designing costumes and sets for the Tacoma Little Theater to drafting airplane models at Boeing, Sammons has defined herself Long before I called myself an artist, I had artistic talent.
Her drafting background influences her ‘structured’ art style today. The mythical creatures in the book are whimsical and full of powerful movement and animation, but Sammons’ aesthetic is organized and clear. She uses ink and colored pencils to bring mythical creatures to life. A self-proclaimed “Sharpie girl,” she doesn’t shy away from thick linework and doesn’t reject color.
“I love color and I love combining contrasting colors,” she says.
After Boeing, Sammons joined the Recreational Therapy Program at Eastern Washington University, channeling her talents through art therapy to hospitals and schools. She has worked with children with special needs throughout the Spokane area, as well as children on the Children’s Oncology Unit.
While working in a post-Folds public school, Sammons was asked to work with a little boy on the autism spectrum who was born without an optic nerve. I got creative with my use of sound.Use of Beethoven’s various keys song of joy Sammons introduced the scent of pine and the taste of mint gum as an auditory tether to his students, bringing him an understanding of the color green.
“He can still go through the entire color wheel,” she says.
Yeon Kwak’s photo
Sammons artbooks are available at Auntie’s and elsewhere.
a A storyteller at heart, Sammons rarely creates work without a symbolism behind it.creature in her mythical creature alphabet Inspired by the people in her life and the legends of cultures around the world.
For example, Sammons’ niece is from South Korea, so the letter S is samjeokwo, is for her. letter C Cipactri was inspired by a child she was babysitting and he asked her to create the creature he had in mind.
“When he was nine years old, he came to my first art show and was just up against a wall. He had this assignment he wanted me to do. It was like a lizard book, he makes some money out of it.”
One of Summons’ most dear creatures is the Tolkien-inspired JRR. ent — An anthropomorphic tree with the letter E. She created this piece during her 2020 summer’s raging bushfires, selling prints and postcards, with all proceeds donating to her Spokane Valley firefighters.
“A lot of these were in response to what was happening in the world,” Sammons says of her chosen creature.
As the project was always intended as a personal achievement, Sammons said the public attention she received for the book was overwhelming and her most closely held, including being featured at Aunty’s Bookstore. Some of the dreams he had were unbelievable. Realized.
“A hot date idea when I was little was to go to my aunt’s house and hang out and look at books. Auntie’s rack. But now there’s books,” she says.
The most fulfilling aspect for Sammons is the connections she has made with others and the general support of the Spokane community. She said a former high school teacher recently purchased the book at Wishing Her Treebooks and distributed it to her students.
In all the excitement and whirlwind Sammons has experienced over the past few months, she hasn’t forgotten why she loves making art.
“I love the story behind it. Everything has a story behind it. It’s amazing how many people are exposed to art.” ♦
To learn more about artist Steph Sammons, visit her website, simplystephsammons.com.
