Today, I bring you the phenomenal, summery-feeling art of Samantha French. As with all the Etsy sellers I feature, I have been attempting to contact Ms. French to get her permission to feature her artworks, but she has managed to avoid me for months. I’ve given up the high road and decided to post about her work anyway. It’s honestly too good to keep to myself.

The Brooklyn-based painter takes her inspiration from memories of her childhood summers spent by the lakes of northern Minnesota. I love the vintagey, underwater feel of them. Some of my favorite childhood memories, and my favorite adult ones, too, come to think of it, happened in or near the water. I’m a mermaid through and through, so of course her paintings speak to me on a really deep level.

“My current body of work is focused on swimmers underwater and above. Using vague yet consuming memories from my childhood summers spent immersed in the tepid lakes of northern Minnesota, I attempt to recreate the quiet tranquility of water and nature; of days spent sinking and floating, still and peaceful. These paintings are a link to my home and continual search for the feeling of the sun on my face and warm summer days at the lake. They are my escape, a subtle reprieve from the day-to-day. At the same time, I am drawn to an idealistic time before my own, where swim caps and wool swimsuits were commonplace. This combination of memory, observation and photography has allowed me to preserve the transitory qualities of water and remembrance.”

I believe Ms. French and I may be twins. Although I really enjoy all the artists I profile, I’m amazed by the level on which I’m attracted to her paintings. I’m very much looking forward to hanging some of her work in our house when we get back home. But how to choose…

Follow French on her website and on Etsy, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest.

All images property of Samantha French.