Today we’d like to introduce you to Samuel Robertson.
Hi Samuel, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
Well, I wasn’t always a bible salesman, that’s for sure. And if you asked me 15 years ago if I’d grow up to be a bible salesman, I would have told you ‘not a chance.’ So let me back up 15 years. I was 18 years old, and sort of an anxious person. And I dealt with the anxiety by always trying to make things, paintings, drawings, sculptures, wherever the inspiration was. That helped me stay calmer and gave me some semblance of purpose and direction. And I didn’t know where it would lead, but I had a sense that if I kept at it, kept honing my chops, the right opportunity would present itself. Then when thinking of a book to illustrate, as a project to hopefully get me other painting/illustration gigs down the line after I could demonstrate my abilities, I thought of The Old Testament – specifically the King James Version. A book I’d never read before, but knew its cultural importance. And I immediately knew I knew I had landed on something important and historic. That I was in a unique position to treat the text like no one else has ever done, even though it’s been adapted into art countless times before me. And now the book is done. It’s published and available for people to have a copy if they are interested.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It’s been smooth in some senses for sure. But the struggles I think have been about structuring my life to keep art making in it while also having a family and working and all that. It’s kind of crazy to think anyone sticks with anything, and if I would have thought about the length of time it would take to paint 257 paintings for the Old Testament (7 years) it probably wouldn’t have happened. But I took it one painting at a time, and enjoyed doing it for the most part. And it took a village – I’ve had a lot of support from family and friends that kept the wind in my sails.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I’ve been mostly painting these days, largely in an effort to take one medium far enough to be able to make a living with it and stop working my day job: remodeling. And I feel like I’m getting closer after illustrating the Old Testament. But this project will also hopefully help me to re-enter the world of mixed media as I plan to start a podcast called Birth of a Salesman. I intend to sell the book door to door, dressed as a Bible salesman from the 1970s, and I will record my interactions with people in a performance art piece intended to be made into a podcast. I will present the pilot episode of that work in progress after having already knocked on about 30 doors so far to test the concept out. And I want to get my version of the Old Testament into all the hotels in the world. So far, the Oxbow in Eau Claire bought a copy for each of its 30 rooms, and Grandpa’s Pool House in Minnesota bought a copy. I also want the pope to buy all the original paintings and I want to display the series at the Vatican.
I love to follow inspiration, using whatever medium fits my ideas. I like to paint and draw, write fiction, record music, sculpt, etc. So hopefully Birth of a Salesman can connect those dots.
Have you learned any interesting or important lessons due to the Covid-19 Crisis?
For sure, just how quickly things can change on a global scale and how precarious of a place we’re in.
Pricing:
- My book is available on my publisher’s website: www.1111press.com/oldtestament — it costs $130 until June 12 after my midwest book tour, when it will become $150.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.MisterRobertson.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/samrobertsonart
- Facebook: facebook.com/samrobertsonart
- Twitter: twitter.com/samrobertsonart
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxnJK2sEvonR3IGG9t7ndig
