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Sean McRoberts was born in 1998 in Lancaster, PA, and currently resides in Seattle, WA.
He moved to Denver, CO to attend the University of Denver, where he earned his BA in Studio Art, with distinction in oil painting, in 2022. During his third year, he studied abroad at the Glasgow School of Art in Scotland, focusing on Painting and Printmaking.
McRoberts has already been included in several exhibitions including the Senior Showcase at the Vicki Myhren Gallery in Denver, CO, winning the Director’s Choice Award for one of his included paintings. He is now working and exhibiting in Seattle, WA.
McRoberts is known for his vibrant and realistic oil paintings. His series "Obscurus" explores the use of glazes and vibrant colors to add depth to his subjects. He often covers the faces of his subjects, making the pieces more approachable and reflective for the audience.
Sean McRoberts has created several notable works that have garnered attention in the art world. Some of his best-known pieces include:
- "No Vacancy": This piece is part of his "Obscurus" series, where he experiments with glazes and vibrant colors to add depth to his subjects.
- "Day 51": Another work from the "Obscurus" series, known for its striking realism and use of color.
- "Gremlin 1": This piece also showcases his talent for blending realism with vibrant hues, creating a visually engaging and emotionally resonant work.
- These pieces have been well-received in exhibitions and have helped establish McRoberts as a promising artist in the contemporary art scene
The Gallery
Q & A
At the moment, my favorite piece is “Handle With Care”. It is my most recent piece andI find that whatever the last piece I’ve finished tends to be my favorite at the time.However, it’s not just because it’s the most recent, but it is the first time that I’ve feltalmost completely satisfied with a painting. Over the past 2 years, I’ve beenexperimenting a lot with new techniques and concepts, not finding my nichethroughout that time. With this painting, it felt like all of the knowledge I gained withinthose 2 years came together to make something I’m very happy with.
I’ve always been an artist of some sort. My parents both had artistic careers, and Ithink that subconsciously drove me toward wanting to be an artist. The thing thatstarted my art journey was the semester I spent in Glasgow, Scotland studying at theGlasgow school of Art. Before then, I had never touched oil paints and spending those6 months in the painting program was really the beginning of my love for painting.
My main goal in making work is to leave the interpretation open-ended. It’s why I don’tlike to give specific explanations for what a painting is about. If I could have one thingin my career, it would be for each of my paintings to mean something completelydifferent to everyone, and awaken their emotions in different ways.
I still don’t feel like I’ve fully developed a style, and I don’t expect to ever have itperfected. The main aspect of my work is realism, and that has always been the type ofart I was best at. I define my style as “slightly surrealist”, because I think addingelements into a painting that are a bit unreal makes wherever it is more interesting tolook at, as well as making the image harder to define in our heads.
It’s all about commitment. If you aren’t willing to step outside the box, work all night, goto gallery openings, network, you’ll only be letting yourself down. However, I’d say I’mproud of anyone who has chosen art as a career path, because you’re betting onyourself and your abilities. There’s nothing cooler in life than believing you can dosomething and trying to get it.
Each work is different, and some of mine are based in physical places that bring moremeaning to the piece for me. It’s a bit cliché, but the most inspirational place is my ownhead. I make art so that I can better understand my own thoughts and feelings, soreflecting in my head draws out the inspiration for my works.
I’d love to try watercolor painting. It’s still within the realm of painting for me, but it is sodifferent compared to using oils. I’m very inspired by watercolor painters and theirmastery of the medium.
It’s such a great feeling to have someone, whether it be a stranger or a friend, hang mywork on their walls. To me it means they see something in the piece that they want tocontinue seeing every day, and that is part of my goal in making art. The other part of itis that it will usually be displayed beside other artists' work, creating a uniquecollection of work for that specific space.
While I spend much of my time painting, I am also a big gamer. If I’ve been painting for8 hours straight, it’s nice to spend some time gaming afterwards, disconnect from theworld and venture into another one. I play soccer every week with my friends in Seattle.My favorite thing in the world though is snowboarding. I’ve been a snowboarder for 15years, and during the winter months I try to go to the mountains as much as possible.
There’s a lot I could say, but the number one thing would be to have more confidence.If I were more confident in my art skills I would’ve gone to an arts college, met moreartists, learned more techniques, which I think would’ve progressed my career so muchfaster.
Behind the Art
“Smile”
This piece is actually a smaller part of a larger, unfinished work where the rest of thepainting wasn’t very successful. I’m glad to share this part though, as it’s very simplebut thought-provoking as well. We all have good days, bad days, and everything inbetween, and this piece is a representation of that.
“3 Skeletons”
I made this piece just after graduating from college, and I was starting to experimentwith some new ideas. I love to do figure paintings, but in many cases, people don’twant to put paintings of strangers up on their walls. Thinking about this, I thought that Icould still do figure paintings without it being of an actual person. I chose to startpainting skeletons, and this was my first attempt at a simple skeleton painting.
“Home Phone”
Another one of my experiments after college, I was dipping my toe into more surrealistconcepts. This piece was a smaller piece that only took me about a week to finish. Iwanted to explore inserting everyday objects into locations and environments that theywouldn’t normally be seen in.
Products Made by
Sean McRoberts
Handkerchief
100% Cotton
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Scarf
100% Mulberry Silk
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Vest
90% Cotton, 10% Polyester Fiber, 390g, Black
$0.00
Cushion Cover
Premium Fabric Choices, Durable & Comfortable
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