Sami Ali is a modern representational artist who credits her passion for art to her curious nature and her love of a challenge. Born in Vietnam, her family fled to America as part of the American Embassy rooftop evacuation in 1975 during the fall of Saigon. She lived in 5 different states before settling in Alaska, so through the years she learned to be adaptable, make friends, and find creative outlets for herself.

She became more serious about pursing art in 2020, focusing on oil painting. Her paintings are distinctive as the energy and conditions of her surroundings are conveyed in the marks she makes on canvas - you can tell she painted in the snow because of the unusual texture of the snow-mixed oil paint, and you can feel the calming movement of the waves in the rhythmic marks she makes when painting water. If you’ve seen Sami paint plein air (outdoors, on site) , you’ve probably noticed that she prefers working with palette knife for landscapes, allowing for even more textural elements. Her portraits also have her characteristic use of palette knife as well as brushwork. She loves working in a wide landscape format as she sees the world through this dynamic lens, and she finds portrait painting analogous to completing the Sunday NY Times Crossword.

Her bold and whimsical approach to art contributes to her modern style, as does her instinctive sense of color and textural use of paint. She understands that a purchase of fine art is an investment, and strives for mastery of her art to deliver high quality fine art, evoking memories for years to come.

In 2024, her artistic journey organically evolved towards mixed media and bead mosaics, another medium where she incorporates her love of color and texture to tell stories.

Sami garnered international media attention in 2022 for her show “The Mind of a Healthcare Worker During the COVID-19 Pandemic”, a collection 45 works (42 paintings and 3 sculptures) created during the pandemic. Please see the Menu above for the page about that show.

Sami’s painting of Jason Kelce (ft Taylor Swift and the Kelce Family) was discussed by Travis and Jason on their podcast, New Heights Show, (the number one podcast in America! Go Chiefs!) on February 2, 2024. Signed, numbered prints of the painting are available in “Store” above and ALL proceeds will go to Travis’s charity 87 and Running.

Like most artists, she enjoys other crafts, such as calligraphy cake decorating, collage, and even jewelry making. Her love for color and texture overflow into those realms as well. You can find her whimsical ‘fun things’ on Instagram @sami_funthings.

She is Board Certified in Emergency Medicine and continues to practice at the busiest emergency room in Alaska. Sami spends most of her time between Alaska and Hawaii, both places where she is inspired by the ocean, and when not doing art she can be found either in the kitchen making homemade eggrolls or on the river salmon fishing. Her husband Steve is simultaneously her biggest fan and most vocal critic; and their dog, Bella, is her plein air painting companion.

Follow her art adventures on Instagram @sami_paints_