We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Sarah Roberts a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Sarah, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

I have two most meaningful projects: 1) my first flower species poster “Cacti of the Southwest” and 2) every commission I’ve done.

The first project, “Cacti of the Southwest” grew out of my first thoughts on what kind of business I should start. At the time I was a new postdoctoral scientist in a two year position and my husband and I had decided that after we finished our postdocs and settled down somewhere was the perfect time for me to launch the small business I’d been dreaming of for years. So I was intentionally using my spare time during those two years to work on laying the ground work to start my small business. My only problem was figuring out what kind of business to start! I was kicking around ideas as wide apart as having a food truck or becoming a personal trainer. One morning I was walking our dog and thinking about my problem and praying about it when my gaze fell upon a blooming wildflower. I wish I remembered which one it was – perhaps a Rocky Mountain Zinnia or Lacy Tansyaster? and a lightbulb seemed to go off in my head! I should paint wildflowers and put them together in a poster of wildflower species. Two and a half years later I finished my first wildflower poster “Cacti of the Southwest”. Since then I’ve finished another one and have plans for many more.

Secondly, every commission touches me emotionally. I’m humbled by the trust my clients have in me to bring their art ideas to life and I’m blown away by the meaning they want to embody in the artwork. I have meaning I embed in my own artwork but its a special honor to capture meaning for someone else. At first glance its just a flower, but to my clients its so much more – a memory of a day, an occasion, or a life lesson learned.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

I am an artist focusing primarily on outdoor and nature-themed fine art. I started my business focusing on watercolor painted flowers but I have started dipping my toe in landscapes, and I have plans to branch out in subject matter (fossils, trees, constellations, etc.) and medium (oils, pen and ink). My completed works are mostly series of paintings that I put together in collection prints. For example, my “Cacti of the Southwest” poster is a print of thirteen original paintings of blooming cacti native to the American southwest. Besides the collection prints and the original paintings that go into making them, I also produce individual prints of my originals and commissions.

My artwork is characterized by a combination of features: a vintage natural science textbook-level of detail, dramatic compositions with arching stems, drooping seed pods, swirls of petals, vibrant colors, and an unmarred garden of Eden-like perfection. I want those who look at my art to be transported into the painting, to touch the silky petal texture, smell the subtle flower fragrance and feel the warm sunlight. Artwork energizes me the most when it takes me somewhere. Perhaps somewhere I can’t go, like the garden of Eden, or an idealized memory, or an imagined place. Wherever it is, I want to give my audience a vacation to that place every time they look at my art.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

My worldview is shaped by my belief that we live in the midst of an intelligently designed creation, that God made it perfect and beautiful, and that, while there are aspects of it that have become corrupted, we still get to live in what is essentially His art museum! There are “bigger” works of art – like the Grand Canyon, the Himalaya Mountains, or patterns in the stars, and there are “smaller” works of art – like a wild bluebell nodding in the woods, the pattern and shape of a fossilized brachiopod sea shell, or the varying shades of colors of a springtime forest coming into leaf. For me the most rewarding aspect of being an artist is getting to follow in my Creator’s footsteps by creating works of art that delight the eye and fill the mind with a sense of wonder.

How did you build your audience on social media?

First of all a caveat: I am not an expert on social media nor do I have a large audience on social media. But in beginning to use social media as an artist the most helpful piece of advice I have (which I credit to a video from the “Rafi Was Here Studios” Youtube channel) is that the size of the audience is irrelevant. Instead of worrying whether a post will get traffic or not, just focus on speaking to the audience you have – no matter how small it is! You might think its not worth it to post a work of art if only a handful of people are going to see it and like it, but that ignores the worth of your audience- small as it is. Just keep posting and being grateful for the people in the room.

Secondly, when you are talking to your audience, choose the subject matter with the goal of benefiting your audience and not primarily advertising. For example, I make lots of process reels because I know those are satisfying to watch. I’ve recently begun posting other helpful how-to style posts – like how to safely flatten warped watercolor paper. As a business you cannot go wrong by focusing on fulfilling the needs of your customers, and social media is a great place to practice doing that.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/flowergirlpainting/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/flowergirlpaintings
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarah-roberts-artist/
• Other: https://www.etsy.com/shop/FlowerGirlPainting

Image Credits
Sarah Roberts