Q&A: Meet the Canadian artist painting the Thunder with a basketball

Samantha Woj is a sports fan, an artist, and a proud Thunder supporter. But what makes her stand out isn’t just what she paints, it’s how she paints it.

We caught up with the Canadian creator to learn more about her unique process, her love for the game, and how she’s using art to connect with fans around the world.

Q: How did your journey with art begin?

“I’ve been passionate about art since I was 12 years old. I liked the idea of creating something from nothing,” Woj said. “It gave me a space to get out of my head and just make something. I think that’s what I really enjoy: expressing emotions, in a creative space.”

Q: You’re a sports fan too. How did that passion develop?

“I’ve played sports as early as I can remember,” Woj said. “I think I was four when I started. Soccer was my go-to, but I tried a bunch of sports over the years. Sports were how I made friends and connected with people, especially in school.”

Q: How did you start painting with sports equipment?

"I think it happened four years ago during the pandemic,” Woj said. “I was at home, I literally just finished my thesis for my master’s, and I was just so tired, and I hadn't painted, I think, in a year, or just hadn't been really creative except for drawing on Starbucks cups. I just didn't have much time to be creative, I remember being so tired after completing my thesis and saying to myself that I just wanted to have fun this summer before figuring out work and everything else and I joked with my sister, and I said you know what, I am just going to roll the soccer ball we have laying around our house and just have fun with a canvas because I actually injured my ankle working out, so I couldn't physically work out, I couldn't leave the house so she was like just do it. So I literally rolled the ball on the canvas and I saw the texture and I was like this is really fascinating, I really like what's happening with the marks that were made and I think two weeks later the Olympics were happening and I said you know what this is going to be really nice, I am going to challenge myself and see what would happen if I created an athlete using sports equipment. So, the Olympics were kind of my practice phase to paint people and kind of cheer on fellow Canadians competing abroad in the Olympics, and to my surprise, other people actually enjoy it. I didn't know, it was just really me having fun and expressing my love for sports and cheering on, and to my surprise, other people enjoyed it, and that's how it continued."

Q: You’ve worked with the Thunder—how did that happen?

"Two years ago, OKC was playing a preseason game in my hometown of Montreal,” Woj said. “They reached out and asked if I wanted to do a live painting before the game. I said yes… not realizing it would be on an 8-foot-by-8-foot canvas. I got to meet some of the fans and just fell in love with the energy of the team and community.”

Q: What’s it like being part of the Thunder fan base now?

"To see it and be welcomed into it is nothing short of amazing because I really truly am grateful for the Thunder fan base for welcoming me in,” Woj said.

Follow Samantha’s journey on TikTok to see more of her game-day masterpieces, one roll and bounce at a time.

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