Samantha M Thompson is an emerging British printmaker whose work delves deeply into themes of race, identity and culture. Currently based in Bedfordshire, Thompson primarily works with stone lithography – a traditional and labour-intensive technique that she revitalises by pairing it with contemporary portraiture.
At the heart of Thompson’s practice is a desire to restore visibility and value to those often overlooked in society. Her portraits are rich with detail, each one crafted over many hours with careful attention to the nuances of expression, posture and gaze. This slow, deliberate process invites viewers to pause and engage with the subject’s humanity and lived experience.
Blending old and new, Thompson’s use of stone lithography is both an artistic and conceptual choice. By presenting modern subjects through an age-old process, she creates a powerful tension between tradition and contemporary life – a quiet resistance to the fleeting pace of the digital age and a call to honour the stories behind each face.
Thompson’s interest in narrative extends from her academic background, having studied Creative Writing and Fine Art at undergraduate level. Her commitment to refining her craft has taken her from a prestigious lithography residency at the Münchner Künstlerhaus in Munich to her current development work at Leicester Print Workshop.
Each body of work reflects a growing mastery of the medium and a consistent drive to centre overlooked voices within the broader landscape of British portraiture. Thompson’s pieces resonate with care, precision and a quiet insistence on being seen.
All works will be available for purchase, with collection arranged at the end of the exhibition season.
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