Emma Samms swaps scripts for stretched linen as she launches her first solo art exhibition, showcasing vibrant abstract paintings in Stroud, Gloucestershire.
Photo Credit: JPI Studios General Hospital’s Emma Samms embraces a different kind of spotlight, presenting bold new abstract paintings at her debut solo exhibition.On General Hospital, Holly is off in Europe with Robert, trying on something that looks almost like stability while keeping one eye on the nearest exit. She has Sasha, she has history, and she has that familiar undertone of unfinished business. Off-screen, Emma Samms is also in Europe, but her days are filled with paint instead of plot twists. No diamonds, no double-crosses, just canvases and the quiet nerve it takes to show the world what you’ve made with your own hands.
From Instagram Tease to Opening Night Cheers
On Instagram, Samms shared a post by Wotton Auctions that read, “We’re delighted to be sponsoring something very special next month… Join the inimitable @emma.samms at local landmark @thesubrooms where she brings her beautifully eclectic works… to view for the first time.” The announcement detailed her move from Hollywood to Gloucestershire, England 30 years ago and noted that in 2023, she converted the old coach house in her garden into an art studio. It promised a gallery debut filled with intricate pen-and-ink drawings and bold, large-scale abstracts.
Days later, she posted a photo of herself with her team, captioning it, “Here’s the wonderful team of people (including my very wonderful husband @mccoy.simon ) who spent the day helping me set up my art exhibition, which starts tomorrow!” It was less red carpet and more sleeves rolled up, gratitude.
A video from Stroud Times captured the opening at The Sub Rooms in Stroud, Gloucestershire. Standing beneath her own work, Samms admitted it felt “extraordinary” seeing everything together. Painting, she said, is “definitely easier” than acting. “You don’t have to learn any lines.” But showing it to the public? That was the part that made her “a bit trepidacious.”
A Different Kind of Spotlight
Samms has sold commissions for years, mostly detailed monochromatic pen-and-ink animal portraits. The abstracts are newer, larger, and louder. She credited a friend’s honest feedback for pushing her into the second style that now lines the George Room walls.
Joseph Trinder of Wotton Auctions encouraged her to mount the exhibition, and she took the leap. Within minutes of opening, pieces sold, and she sounded genuinely stunned by the response. The exhibition runs through Saturday, February 21. More information and updates can be found at Samms’ website.
