A World of Inspiration

By Lucy Arnold, Art Editor

Work by Gloria Sampson, “Blake House Gardens” (13.5×20.75, watercolor)

Gloria Sampson of the Columbus Branch (Georgia) won a Signature Members Award in the 2023 Watercolor Society of Alabama National Exhibit for “Cape Town Docks.” She created a handmade sketchbook journal from her photographs and reference material from the same trip to South Africa.

Sampson begins her watercolor paintings with a detailed drawing on Arches paper before adding layers of transparent color. She uses Maskoid for texture, leaving white areas for sparkle.

She earned a bachelor’s of fine arts degree from the California College of Arts and Crafts in Oakland, then worked as an interior designer and fine artist in the Bay Area. Her love of illustrating San Francisco Victorian houses became a dedication to historic preservation in Georgia.

Mercer University Press published Sampson’s first book, “Historic Churches and Temples of Georgia — A Book of Watercolors and Drawings,” in 1987. Sampson has since donated 100 original works from the book to the Columbus State University archives. She has also authored over 35 travel art sketchbooks, complete with notes on the history, geography, and culture of the regions. Three of these have been published.

Sampson’s work, exhibited regionally and nationally, has been published in cookbooks, catalogs, book covers, and magazines. She was the featured artist in the Sept/Oct 2018 issue of Southwest Georgia Living magazine.