The Modeler
Author:Lindsey ShookFormer supermodel Lois Samuels honors her Jamaican heritage while channeling her creativity
Jamaican-born artist, photographer and sculptor Lois Samuels has lived a life that many only dream of. Discovered in high school, she traveled the world modeling in the major fashion capitals including Paris, London and New York for designers such as Issey Miyake, Dior, Lacroix and Ralph Lauren. She has graced the covers of the most influential fashion magazines in the world and worked with iconic photographers like Ellen von Unwerth, Peter Lindbergh and Ruven Afanador. “Each of them was truly inspiring in their approach to working with talent and crafting an atmosphere conducive to capturing remarkable images,” Samuels recalls. “Yet I was always drawn to a more reportage style in photography.”
With years of experience in the fashion industry, she yearned to apply her observations to a creative practice of her own. Inspired by her Jamaican heritage, Samuels channeled her burning creative calling into a pursuit of ceramics and photography. “With both fashion and fine arts, there are parallels between presenting your work and revealing aspects of your essence and identity to the world,” she says. “In the fashion realm, one often gives up control as decisions regarding a model’s career trajectory are made by others, but with ceramics, I find a deep sense of fulfillment as it allows me to have more control over the creative process. Unlike the transient nature of modeling, ceramics teaches and offers a more enduring form of expression, where the pieces crafted can evoke emotions and memories for years to come.”
Samuels’ Fragmented Beauty and Sankofa series—which feature photographs she captured during the 1990s in Jamaica and handmade vessels—are currently on display in The Female Gaze group exhibit at Art Wolf Gallery, located inside the Pacific Design Center. “I find that varying experiences and elements along the journey of life is what builds us, and I mirrored that in my work with clay for the Fragmented Beauty series. Piece by piece I mold bits of clay together and I allow it to speak through me, creating its own story,” Samuels says. “Sankofa feels like pure magic, as I was born in the Caribbean—a daughter of slaves—and I have always felt a deep connection to Africa, especially to Ghana. ‘Sankofa’ comes from the Twi language out of Ghana meaning to ‘go back and get it’—and I hope one day to go visit and immerse myself in its past and present.”
Indeed, Samuels has captured the mystical energy felt from the small island that has made such a monumental impact on the world and moved her personally. “My aim has always been to capture the essence—the soul—of the people, as well as the flora and fauna of this unique and special place,” she remarks. “It’s a meditative and spiritual practice that often transports me to a tranquil and serene state where I discover a sense of being that is a conduit for expression, channeling my thoughts and feelings into tangible forms.”
