Samantha Clarke graduated from NCAD in 2006 with a BA (Hons) in Fine Art. Her intriguing drawings use found images and photographs as their starting points. “I often use the incidentally beautiful marks that are frequently already present on the aged paper. I feel that these existing stains and imperfections are important in the production of my drawing as they represent a kind of history of their own, one which I can alter and add to. While working from imagery I am constantly searching for a balance between reality and personal perception. The linear drawings represent a kind of reality and the ink stains and marks represent an alternative to this reality. I often perforate the paper in shapes that both create a positive and a negative space in the drawing. I aim to change the path of perception in the image and to draw the viewers' eye to elements that may have been overlooked. It is these ‘lost’ elements that I am most interested in.”

Since graduation she has been invited to participate in a number of group exhibitions including: ‘Undercover’, Graphic Studio Dublin (2008); 'Scape', London and Dublin (2007); ‘Works on Paper - 3 Perspectives’, Talbot Gallery, (2007); RHA Ashford Gallery New Painting Exhibition (2006); RDS Student Art Awards (2006); ‘Artisit?’, Galway (2006) and Microsoft Ireland 19th Exhibition (2006). This is her first solo show.