Sam Carey, 16, has been painting and drawing for as long as she can remember.

“It started with colored pencils when I was a little kid and then I kept trying new things,” Carey said. “Art is my passion, my therapy. It makes me really happy.”

Carey is hoping to make a career from her art. She created a website displaying her work and has painted murals in several homes.

“I really enjoy painting murals in children’s rooms because it makes me feel like I am able to contribute in a child’s life in some way,” she said. “On my website and when people call me, I tell them I am willing to work with any budget. I do it because I love to do it and I think that everyone should be able to have a unique piece of art in their house.”

Carey said most of her mural work has come from word of mouth.

“People visit the homes I paint in and then ask how they can get ahold of me,” she said. “It’s kind of cool when that happens because it means my work is speaking for itself.”

Carey’s work has been featured in the Schack Art Center in Everett and the Kenmore City Hall gallery area. She won the Doodle for Google challenge in 2012 for drawing a time capsule around the words, “Google.” Carey’s work was displayed on Google’s homepage and she was flown to New York City to receive a framed picture of her work from the company.

“This was an awesome experience,” Carey said. “It inspired me to enter other contests and gallery events.”

The trip to New York and a trip Carey took to Belize when she was 12 have inspired many of her pieces.

“I can do customizable art, but when I am doing it for myself, I am inspired by many different things,” Carey said. “Life, traveling, every day things move me to create art.”

To see Carey’s work, visit samcareyart.tumblr.com.

For more information, call Carey at 206-850-3522 or email her at sammy.m.carey@gmail.com.