Today we’d like to introduce you to Sarah Todd.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Sarah. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I grew up in Bullard, Texas, a small town in East Texas. My parents put me in art lessons at a young age and my passion for art really blossomed from there.
I graduated from University of Texas in Austin with a Bachelors Degree of Fine Arts in 2010. After teaching art for three years, I went on to pursue a Masters degree in design from Florence Design Academy in Florence, Italy. I came back to Dallas and taught art at a private school here in North Dallas. Through most of this time, I was drawing portraits and architectural sketches for clients.
My first blue and gold piece sold in a school auction and I was overwhelmed with how many commissions I received for custom paintings. It got to the point where I was painting every weekend and evening just trying to keep up. So, I stopped teaching in June of 2017 and spent the fall creating a series in the UK and France. I leased a pop up space in Tampa, Florida to exhibit my Europe travel series in January of 2018. This was the first time I ever showed my work in public. I then traveled through South Africa all through February and created another travel series. The series is currently being exhibited at my gallery in Preston Royal Village. In the past 14 months, I’ve sold over 80 paintings.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I had a professor in college that asked if I knew Gustav Klimt and after telling her no she then went on to tell me I shouldn’t be an art major and that I will not succeed as an artist. I went straight to the library after that class and absolutely loved what I found. Sure, by this time in my life, I would know who Klimt was but it was the animosity of the situation that drove me to use 24K gold leaf like Klimt later in my career. Sometimes, people will tell you that you can’t do something and all you simply have to do is prove them wrong.
what should we know about Sarah Todd Gallery? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
My art pieces are known for the 24K gold leaf and genuine silver leaf that I use in a majority of my paintings. A lot of my art’s main focus color is blue because it’s such a timeless and versatile color that embodies a deep calm. Blue complements the gold so well… sun and water, bright and deep, fire and ice. The layers of resin poured over my paintings enhances the colors and movement of each piece. I also specialize in custom paintings for spaces. I personally come out to the client’s space and determine the best size, colors, and movement for the client so that it results in the absolute best pieces for space.
Do you have a lesson or advice you’d like to share with young women just starting out?
Taking the leap of becoming an entrepreneur was one of the most challenging decisions I’ve ever made. It was so hard to leave the comfort of a steady job to dive into a career that ran solely by myself. I had a great job at a wonderful private school here in Dallas where I was blessed to be able to share my passion for art to young aspiring artists. After taking that leap of faith to quit and start something new, my mindset changed. I decided then that failure was not an option and with that mindset, I drove myself to become a full-time successful artist within a year.
Contact Info:
- Address: Sarah Todd Gallery
6025 Royal Lane, Suite 123
Dallas, TX 75204 - Website: www.sarahtoddart.com
- Phone: 903-752-1248
- Email: sarah@sarahtoddart.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahtoddart/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sarahtoddart/
Image Credit:
www.sarahtoddart.com
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