We were lucky to catch up with Sierra Roberson recently and have shared our conversation below.
Sierra, appreciate you joining us today. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?
I’ve always had an interest in the arts and practiced daily. It was my way of interacting with the world on an intuitive level. Drawing figures—especially women—became a personal form of expression, often evoking a sense of nostalgia.
I didn’t consider art as a career until halfway through college. It had always been a hobby, something I loved, but never something I thought I could pursue professionally. That changed after a trip to Hawaii, where I visited DeRubeis Gallery. At the time, I had dropped out of College during my sophomore year and was feeling lost and anxious about the future.
Seeing Joshua Roman’s work for the first time completely changed my perspective. It opened my eyes to what art could truly be—not just a visual representation of what we see, but a powerful way to convey emotion through color, line, and composition.
Inspired, I re-enrolled at SDSU, where I began working with oil paints and exploring color for the first time. Since then, I have focused my practice on the intersection of color theory and composition, seeking to understand how these elements can evoke emotional responses and influence the viewer’s perception of mood.
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.
Growing up in a crowded home in the core of San Diego, I learned the value of connection. I began to examine the human experience in individuals who share a moment of vulnerability and I challenge the ideal of perfection. I value the raw depiction of actors playing sensitive human roles and glorify lyrical music that embodies reflections of my own story. I find it difficult to share how I’ve experienced my life up until now as I struggle to understand what that looks like. By recapturing a photo that was taken of an individual in an authentic moment I am able to portray the person I saw initially that looks at me instead of a camera lens. The conversation I share with my paintings is a personal connection of the veiled non-representational world.
I cling to the individual no one sees who accidentally reveals themselves in quiet moments. With the development of social media we are encouraged to put on a face of who we wish we were but when we are not watched something beautiful is revealed. The imperfections of someone’s character create for an authentic person similarly the imperfections of a painting is what makes it more congenial.
My art explores the idea of unattainable perfection and how it’s valued. I try not to limit myself to using only oil paint as my primary painting source by mixing mediums such as acrylic paint and glitter to further advocate the misleading concept of perfection. The visual paintings serve as a mute film alluring its audience with reassurance. The safety of my paintings develop a connection with the viewer with varying conclusions of concepts considering perfection, authenticity, and the human experience.
Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.
I was raised in an environment that prioritized athleticism, structure, and physical well-being. My sisters and I dedicated much of our formative years to training for national track competitions, traveling across the United States to compete against some of the nation’s most accomplished athletes. Growing up in such a physically oriented household, it took me a considerable amount of time to explore and understand the significance of creativity and its connection to spiritual well-being.
In my youth, I did not recognize the value of mental or spiritual health, viewing them as secondary to physical achievements. However, as I matured, it became increasingly evident that I was experiencing a profound sense of unhappiness. I often felt as though I was merely a hollow version of myself, constantly chasing external goals while neglecting my inner needs. I allowed many enriching experiences to pass me by, primarily because they did not align with my narrowly defined vision of financial success. Over time, however, as I cultivated a sense of self-care, self-love, and a deeper connection with my higher power, I began to slow down, embracing a greater sense of joy and gratitude for the simple moments that had previously eluded me.
I recognize that my lifestyle may be difficult for those who do not identify as creatives to comprehend, particularly because it does not align with conventional financial norms. I reside with sixteen roommates in a shared living space to reduce housing costs, and I rely on public transportation as my primary mode of travel. Despite these financial sacrifices, I choose this way of life because it allows me to pour my spirit—my essence—into my artwork, which is designed to evoke deep emotions such as nostalgia, freedom, authenticity, and love. I define my success not by monetary wealth, but by the richness of what I have created, and it is through this creative expression that I find fulfillment and purpose.
Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?
Throughout my artistic journey, I have always been drawn to realism, striving to capture the essence of my subjects with precision and accuracy. However, as I delve deeper into the conceptual underpinnings of my work, I have found myself attempting to unlearn this skill in order to embrace a more liberated, childlike approach to art—abstraction. While realism has been a central focus of my practice, my experience working at Art on 30th, a studio renowned for its emphasis on abstract art, has significantly influenced my understanding of the profound emotional impact that abstract works can evoke. I have come to appreciate how abstract art, in its rawness, can convey complex emotions in ways that literal, photographic representations may not.
In my exploration of abstraction, I began experimenting with techniques such as blind contour drawing and creating paintings without references. These exercises encouraged me to rely on intuition, enabling me to create work that is more authentically reflective of my inner self. I have dedicated much of my practice to navigating the space between realism and abstraction, pushing the boundaries of how far I can abstract an image and observing how these transformations evoke different emotional responses. Through this process, I have learned to reconnect with a sense of spontaneity, limiting my emotional expressions to a single word or gesture and responding instinctively to a feeling. This has allowed me to approach art with the openness and vulnerability reminiscent of childhood, unencumbered by the constraints of formal technique.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://sdawnrob.wixsite.com/mysite
- Instagram: Robersonart523
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sierra-roberson-4b1a1522b?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=ios_app
Image Credits
Sierra Roberson