Sammy Ririhatuela

"As a child, I was always drawing, painting, and crafting. I also liked to take apart toys and radios to discover how something worked. I trained as a creative therapist, but at the time I graduated, there were hardly any jobs in that field. I applied endlessly but got nowhere. Alongside my studies, I worked as a hostess in the hospitality industry, and due to the lack of demand for creative therapists, I started doing that full-time."

"I always continued painting and from 2010 I increasingly received requests to create or paint something. Work for hospitality businesses, for example. Or painting the windows of cafés for the carnival. Until the end of 2024, I always painted at home in the living room. I had become a mother by then, and as soon as my two little ones were in bed, I set up my improvised studio downstairs. I painted deep into the night and then cleaned everything up. Believe me, you don't want two young children starting their day among the brushes and still wet paint."

"In 2024, I was tired of constantly setting up and dismantling my workspace, so I went looking for a location with enough space to give my painting supplies a permanent spot. I ended up in the former blacksmith workshop of Smederij Giesen in Tegelen. A large, industrial space with enough room for a studio. When I first walked in, I fell in love immediately. The new workspace made me decide to take a step towards professionalizing my painting. I don't understand how I managed to work night after night in my living room."

"Both of my grandfathers had a restaurant in Venlo, and my father had a café on the Parade for 32 years. So I grew up in the city center, among people who tackle challenges and work hard for their dreams. My parents never encouraged me to become an entrepreneur, but now that I've decided to do it anyway, they support me through thick and thin. My family and friends are always there for me, and I am always there for them. I enjoy celebrating birthdays and carnival with them, or just dropping by to catch up. My door is always open, and everyone is welcome. The only place where I am alone is in my studio."

"I swapped 3 days of hospitality and 1 day of painting for 3 days of painting and 1 day of hospitality. Since then, I am completely booked. I do what I love, and my clients can see that. It's almost contagious! My clients come from all over Venlo and the surrounding areas, and everything so far has been through word of mouth. Because of my work in hospitality, I have a large network. It also helps that I have a big family. I now only do commissioned work, simply because I don't have time for autonomous work. I currently don't have any works in my studio because everything is already sold. For many artists, it's exactly the opposite."