Saman Shojaei
Saman Shojaei was born in 1984 in Iran. He started making art as a teenager, painting cartoons at age 17.
In 2008 he began woodcarving, making miniature houses based on real buildings. He has exhibited his work in Tehran, Turkey, and Seattle.
He earned an MS degree in agricultural engineering in Iran. He moved to the U.S in 2015 and ever since he has been teaching at various fine art schools around Seattle.
Saman's Teaching Style & Approach
Saman demonstrates techniques for students in his class and shows various samples as teaching tools. He explains as he goes, uses visual aides and guides students in doing their own hands-on practice.
His classes have a very friendly atmosphere. He encourages discussions in classes related to the projects. Students are free to eat and drink during class.
Saman believes that it's important to have good materials in order to get satisfying results. He explains, "Quality art materials and supplies are important to me, so I recommend students to provide at least medium quality materials and supplies to get better results, this way they will be encouraged to improve and be excited to continue till advanced level."
Saman's Resources
You can find him on Facebook and Instagram.
Student Reviews
"Saman is such an excellent and patient teacher!"
"The class progressed at the perfect level starting from very easy to reasonably challenging! The prof was so passionate and helpful and asked for feedback during classes and incorporated it instantly."
"Instructor was so friendly and knowledgeable."
"Saman is really kind and good at giving constructive advice. He's also incredibly skilled and patient. The class was interesting and engaging."
"The instructor is doing a great job."
"Saman was a great instructor and led us in getting comfortable with wood carving."
"Saman was really able to advise each student individually multiple times each class and tailor his instruction to where they were in the process. I loved how approachable he made carving and appreciated the examples he brought in of other things he's carved to give us inspiration."
"Saman is very knowledgeable and encouraging and meets each student at their level. Really fun class!!"
"Saman was a great instructor. Thoughtful and encouraging."
"The instructor was wonderful. He was very calm and did a great job explaining and demonstrating the techniques. He was able to work with many different levels of experience in within the student group."
"Saman is an excellent instructor. His demonstrations and 1on1 attention were really helpful."