Meet Sarah Spencer | Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Sarah Spencer and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Sarah, have there been any changes in how you think about work-life balance?
Starting a mural business shortly after collage was nerve wracking. I had a lot of questions for myself; will I make enough money to pay the mortgage, where will I find my clients, how will I get people to trust me to paint the vision in their head? The only thing I knew for sure was that I was a hard worker and had 24 hours a day to make it work. It was easy to paint weekends, late at night, say yes to parade of homes deadlines. Four years into that life and some very slim winters financially, the client base was there and I had a solid reputation with designers and home builders. So naturally I would change that comfortable living and start a family. Owning your own business and picking your clients is absolutely a blessing with kids. I had to be a lot more selective with my time and am so thankful my husband had a salary job so I could devote a lot of time to their lives when they were little. Working during the hours of kindergarten school days and summer breaks was always stressful, but I learned to skip lunch and paint fast. 24 years later and I have almost come full circle. The kids are almost all in collage now and I have so much time for work. I still prioritize my family and pick my jobs, but I have the ability to take on huge projects without a lot of guilt.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I think you have to be passionate about what you do when you run your own business. Being a painter and muralist I look at walls daily and see how they should be painted. The red brick building downtown would benefit with a painting of a 30 foot lobster climbing over the building, the ceiling of my favorite sushi restaurant needs a pond of koi fish, my kids elementary school playground would look so vibrant with a heard of rhinos. I typically go through word of mouth for work, but sometimes I just can’t get an idea out of my head, so I knock on someone’s door to see if they agree that their garage door absolutely does need a frog monarchy painted on it. So often in my career I am asked to paint something for a client that reminds them of the landscape on a favorite trip, a memorial of children that have passed, a specific piece that sets the mood in their home or a composition that will let them escape the four walls surrounding them. I am blessed that at the end of the project I can see the fruits of my labor and know I have brought joy to a family, a business and a community. For 24 years my hundreds of clients have been fabulous and for the 2 that I can think of that were not, there was still a lesson learned there. Something I still struggle with is the cost of my time. Art is subjective and can sometimes be labeled as a hobby or a craft. It is hard to price work for a family starting out and also for a fortune 500 company at the same time.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
It would be a whirlwind trip, as I am never one to sit still. We would need to go to the Rhino District and soak in all of the murals then have a drink at the cutest boutique hotel ever, The Ramble. The next day we would absolutely hike at RMNP, get up at 5am and do the “5 in 5” as my family calls it. 5 lakes: Bear, Nymph, Emerald, Dream and Mills in 5 hours. On our way back home we would stop at the Stanley Hotel and do a seance with Aiden Sinclair. Our third day would be visiting Old Town Lafayette, eating chocolate at Stams and wandering the Flea Market for 2 loops. The flea Market is so big that the only way to do it right is to do an entire first loop not grabbing anything ( be sure to pet Beaux the cat on loop one) then take your second lap and start piling things into your arms. That night would be family night at the Grizzle Rose where we would try our hand at bull riding and line dancing and refuse to go home until they played the song “Fishing in the Dark.” Day 4 is spent at my parent’s house up in the mountains. We would paddle board on the lake and watch the sunset over Longs Peak then stay up late to look at the stars. On the last day we would go to Moxie Bread for breakfast in Louisville and pack a picnic to bring to the Botanic Gardens. We would wander the Japanese gardens and roll down the central hill before bringing my best friend to DIA to fly home.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
There have been so many people in my life that have supported me, pushed me and given me opportunities in my career. I would love to recognize the support of my family. My parents have always been my biggest fans, my dad helped me puzzle out how to do my first 2,500 square foot mural 24 years ago and bought me my first ladder ( it is still my favorite ladder). My husband does not bat an eye when I have a new idea, fill the house full of things to ” make art” with, or change the color of our bedroom 3 times in a month (I will admit the purple was a bad idea). My kids love all the work I do and help with critiques when the piece is just not working. My in-laws gave me the opportunity to paint murals for their beautiful custom home business. This allowed me to build my resume and my name.

Website: https://www.srs4.studio

Instagram: srs4murals