Samantha Wortelhock
Curriculum Vitae
1965 Born Nairobi, Kenya
Educated in the UK
1987 Began painting images from her dreams, self-trained
1988 Emigrated to Australia
Exhibitions:
1990 Field of Dreams Gallery, Queen Street Woollahra
1990, 1991 Coach House Gallery, The Rocks, Sydney
1991, 1992 First exhibiting Artist in Residence Mulgara Gallery, Uluru
1993 – 2003 BreakAway Art’s signature gallery Heaven and Earth Queen Victoria Building, Sydney
2004 BreakAway Art Gallery, Byron Bay
Throughout the following years, Sam volunteered time in schools, using her art and creative thinking techniques as motivational tools to encourage students to be bold with their imagination. This work had a profound effect on all students but particularly those who were not responding well in class. The Department of Education asked Sam to get formally qualified to lift markers such as behaviour and attendance. Also picked up by Service organisations, this branch of creative thinking set her on a new path. Motivational program designs and mural projects dominated her practice and fulfilled her dream to work alongside the First People throughout Australia. To date Sam has painted murals in hundreds of schools and delivered programs in remote communities.
2010 Creating Community brought together three Northern Rivers Public Schools – Coorabell, Durrumbul and Cabbage Tree Island – in a cooperative, visionary arts-based program where each student designed an aspect of a new community. The finished artworks were revealed to their counterparts in an exhibition at the Ballina Regional Gallery. The program was designed to bring students from varying cultural backgrounds together in their creativity to prove that we are all different and there’s no right or wrong.
2012 – 2015 The Wirrpanda Foundation invited Sam to WA many times to design and facilitate motivational arts-based programs in Schools throughout the Pilbara.
2012 By the invitation of the Tania Major Foundation, Sam designed a program for Cape York’s renowned artists of the Pormpuraaw Arts Centre. The program encouraged the artists to be courageous and bold with their creative content.
2012 EnViTe designed and delivered an arts based motivational program working with long term unemployed clients.
2013 By invitation of Queensland Health, Sam designed a motivational program for the addiction services in Kowanyama Cape York.
2013 NORTEC sponsored Treasures of the Tweed, Murwillumbah. The largest mural in the Southern Hemisphere, working alongside and to motivate long-term unemployed clients.
2013 Motivational talk to women in business on International Women’s Day by invitation of the Lismore Chamber of Commerce.
2014 Designed and delivered a 4 month motivational program called Clean Slate for the RFDS Wellbeing Centre in Aurukun, Cape York.
2015 – 2024 Hundreds of public art mural projects for the Department of Education based on specific needs of each school. Working on each brief Sam designed murals that had exceptional outcomes for students and teachers. Cheerless spaces became panoramas of joy and learning. Attendance and behaviour improved and so did the potential of each student. Sam also worked with the organisation Safe on Social to leave a permanent warning of online risk.
2020 Community Recognition Statement by Tamara Smith in the Parliament of NSW for her work in schools.
2023 School Uniform Designs.
2024 Tania Major Foundation final mural project in Kowanyama, Cape York.
Safe on Social, Tenterfield High School
Wiluna (Wirrpanda Foundation)
Clean Slate, Aurukun, Cape York
The last mural Tania Major Foundation
Tenterfield Public School
Wirrpana Foundation The Pilbara, WA
Tenterfield Public School
Mullumbimby Public School Post 2022 flood
Published works: Dark Sparklers, a book about the Cosmic Songlines. Sam painted a number of paintings by invitation of Dr Hugh Cairns and Wardaman Elder Bill Idumduma Harney, launched at Government House Darwin
Australia Post and Weldon Books published Spirit of My Country
Community recognition statement
2025 Sam’s return to her easel.