Born and raised in Peru, artist Angélica Samamé brings the richness of her cultural heritage to every piece she creates. After living in Moraga for 27 years, she now resides in nearby Lafayette, but she still feels deeply connected to the Moraga community and its peaceful neighborhoods, rolling hills, and creative spirit.

Angélica’s love of art began in childhood, but her artistic journey truly blossomed in 2000. Since then, she has dedicated herself to studying and exploring creativity through art classes, workshops, and independent study. Working in acrylics, watercolor, pastel, ink, and papier-mâché, she is especially drawn to bold color, expressive forms, and experimentation.

Her paintings are inspired by both classical and contemporary artists, including Amedeo Modigliani, Pablo Picasso, Claude Monet, Hessam Abrashami, and Manuel Anoro. She is particularly fascinated by cubism and abstraction, styles that encourage freedom, emotion, and discovery.

For Angélica, painting is an intuitive process. Rather than beginning with a fixed composition, she approaches each blank canvas with openness and curiosity. As colors and shapes emerge, figures and ideas begin to reveal themselves. “My artwork is about creation and experimentation,” she says. “I improvise and let the painting guide me.”

Women are a central theme in her work, portrayed in both traditional and contemporary facets of life. More recently, she has also been experimenting with whimsical abstraction and papier-mâché sculpture, creating colorful cats with human characteristics and playful personalities.

Angélica views art as an ongoing adventure - a lifelong investigation into creativity, imagination, and self-expression. Her future plans are simple and heartfelt: to keep painting and exploring new artistic directions.

Her advice to emerging artists is equally direct: “Follow your dreams.”

Angélica’s artwork is currently on view at Moraga Art Gallery. To learn more about her work, visit www.angelicasamame.com.