Description
About the artist
Following a two-year stint of inpatient treatment for borderline personality disorder and heroin addiction, Sam North re-entered the world with the moniker “Sammy thrashLife” and the resolve to build a life on the new passion he discovered while institutionalized. On Friday afternoons, patients had “expressive art therapy” group. He hated it until, one day, it just clicked and became his favorite thing in the world.
A graduate of the Law Center at Georgetown University in Washington, DC, thrashLife has no formal arts training. “I like colors and funny faces. Itʼs more than that,” the artist concedes, “but Iʼm the first to admit Iʼve got zero technical ability.”
Bright colors, rotten smiles, and (often) snarky captions in bold block-letters characterize his work but a closer look reveals intensely honest, reflective, personal journals in small print. “I donʼt shoot heroin anymore but Iʼm still an emotional basketcase,” thrashLife says. “Paints and pens are the tools I use to balance myself out.”
Recovery is not always a straight line. Three years into a fast-growing art career, Sammy endured the most traumatic episode of his life. Though he held strong for several months, it eventually defeated him. He lost years to his relapse before he was finally ready to face the world again.
Now, thrashLife is finally back, making art, and determined to never let anything defeat him ever again. You can find him on social media or – better yet – see all of his art and read all of his writing at sammythrashLife.com.
Product details
“If you had them, I’d pay fifty dollars for a set of Sammy thrashLife greeting cards. Your art on the front and then just blank inside.”
And SO IT WAS!
A friend asked me to make these, so I did. And because she’s MY BUDDY, I made it a set of eight cards instead of (her requested) five. And so long as I was at it, I figured I might as well make a few extra sets for the webstore.
Unlike my prints, these aren’t signed or numbered but they are extremely limited. If it turns out there’s a high demand, maybe I’ll make more, maybe not – so if you’re interested, now is definitely the time to buy.
Each card measures 4.18×5.87-inches. There are eight in the set and each features a different painting: “Adventures Per Minute,” “Bright Side Nihilism,” “I Look Cool Doing It,” “Mental Health Services Available to Strippers, Junkies, Cutters, and Other SICK GIRLS,” “A Plume of My Own Cigarette Smoke,” “Snowflakes Anonymous,” “Still Sick,” and “The World Can Be Cold and Mean But I’m Gonna Try to Do My Best Anyway.” You can see each card in this listing’s image gallery or read about each painting in the linked blog entries.
Both inside pages of the card are blank. The back of each card features the Sammy thrashLife Greeting Card Co.logo, an insignia, and other minor details.
Buy yours before they’re GONE FOREVER
*Any frames pictured in product listings are not included.
Free shipping on all orders over $100.
Original paintings and drawings for sale by inquiry.
For questions/more info, please send a message.
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