We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Rita Salazar Dickerson. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Rita below.

Rita, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Let’s talk legacy – what sort of legacy do you hope to build?

Throughout history a commissioned portrait has been the highest form of honoring someone. When I am asked to paint a portrait of a loved one I appreciate the vision, the hope and the dream that has been entrusted to me. My goal with each painting is to create a portrait to the best of my abilities that becomes a family heirloom; in doing so I hope that when I am gone I will be remembered, time and time again, for a piece of art that touched someone’s heart.

Rita, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

The middle child of seven children, I grew up in Grand Junction, Colorado, where my dad, an artist himself, was my strongest influence and teacher. He recognized my relentless desire to create art as a young child and respected my goal of one day becoming a professional. By the time I was six years old I knew what I wanted to do with my life. My formal art education began at Colorado State University and then continued through workshops with some of the finest instructors in the country.

Working with hundreds of clients over the years I have learned to listen to their visions of what they would like to see in their painting and then work closely with them to make that vision a reality. I share my thoughts and suggestions and listen to theirs; I think of it as a collaboration. When someone wants to talk to me about a commissioned painting, I already know that we have something in common, the appreciation of fine art, and so we have that as a launching pad to work from.

I rarely meet a client that wants to be completely surprised when the painting is completed and so I invite them into the process. With photos I share my progress every step of the way, from the initial rough sketch to the completed portrait. I invite questions and address any concerns they might have. I don’t consider a painting done until the client gives their final approval. I’m very proud of the fact that when the project is over, everyone is more than pleased with the end result: a piece of fine art, painted with quality materials, that will outlive all of us and be shared with generations to come.

Can you open up about how you funded your business?

Funding my small business took a strategy that worked well for me. When I accepted my first commission in high school I had the few painting materials that I needed to get the job done. But when I wanted to expand and grow as an artist, I didn’t have the painting supplies needed to experiment, learn and grow. I also understood that even though prospective clients were interested in commissioning me for a painting, I didn’t have the history or experience to prove myself worthy of charging a competitive market price and so my prices started low. With a positive attitude I accepted every art related opportunity that came my way to help me reach my ultimate goal: to be a self sustaining professional artist. Would I do a calligraphy job for someone? Yes, Would I paint a sign for a neighbor down the street? Yes. Would I do small pen and ink illustrations for a new acquaintance? Yes. No job was too big or too small for me. Whatever it was that was art related, I accepted it as a stepping stone to doing what I ultimately wanted to do, paint fine art. My only condition was that the client pay upfront for all of my materials, and then I charged a reasonable amount over that – using what was left over to create more art and build up my savings for more art supplies and education. Soon I was able to use that savings to attend highly regarded workshops throughout the country – giving me the knowledge I needed to improve my skills.

How did you build your audience on social media?

One of the tips that I give regarding social media is to build your brand by staying the course; never waver from it. If you’re an artist, post about your art. Though it may be tempting to post pictures of a cute child or pet, a silly moment with friends or a shared media post about current events, none of that has anything to do with your art. Delete those from your page. If you want your audience to think of you as a professional artist, post pictures, reels, stories and videos of your current work – either in progress or newly completed. Create a separate account for personal posts.

By today’s standards, I have a long way to go as I continue to build my social media audience but I’m not focusing on the number of followers on Instagram or the Facebook friends I have as a measure of my success. And I don’t compare myself with artists who have several thousand followers. I measure my success by the growing number of referrals I receive from happy clients and the paintings I have the privilege to create that literally go to new owners across the country.

Contact Info:

• Website: ritasalazardickerson.com
• Instagram: ritasalazardickerson
• Facebook: Rita Salazar Dickerson
• Linkedin: Rita Salazar Dickerson
• Youtube: Rita Salazar Dickerson