Ep. 089: How Taking a Step Back Can Move You Forward with Prominent Equine Artist Sarah Dean

Episode Notes

***Complete our short survey by Tuesday, April 8, 2025 to be entered for a chance to win Standlee free product coupons and some fun Standlee swag – https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/btb2025podcast

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On this episode, co-host Katy Starr and guest Sarah Dean, the incredible artist behind Sarah Dean Arts, discuss her journey as an equine artist, including:

• How her real-life experience with horses brings authenticity to her art
• The struggles she’s faced with marketing her art on social media and how she’s built a thriving following
• How one unfinished painting changed EVERYTHING about her future

From crayons in childhood to oil paintings in her studio today, Sarah’s passion for horses and art has remained the same. The challenges she’s faced along the way have only made her more determined, proving that resilience is just as important as talent.

Have a topic idea or feedback to share? We want to connect with you! Email podcast@standlee.com

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*Views and opinions expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect the view of Standlee Premium Products, LLC.*

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Connect with Sarah on social platforms and her website – 

• Instagram - @sarahdeanarts
• Facebook - @sarahdeanarts
• TikTok - @sarah-dean-art
• YouTube - @sarahdeanarts
• Website

Purchase her (and her horse Cheesecake’s!) favorite Standlee product here

Read full episode transcript

Katy Starr (00:01):

Hi, I'm Katy.

 

Dr. Tania Cubitt (00:02):

And I'm Dr. Cubitt. We're going Beyond the Barn. Come join us on this journey as we bust equine and livestock nutrition myths, and interview some of the most intriguing experts in the country.

 

Katy Starr (00:15):

We'll go behind the scenes of how premium Western quality forage is grown and brought to your favorite farm and ranch retail store. We're so glad you're here!

 

Katy Starr (00:27):

Though we've had some breaks, it's hard to believe that we've had four years of the Beyond the Barn podcast. We've loved bringing you helpful nutrition tips and incredible stories from equine and livestock owners and experts who are making waves in the industry. And of course, we couldn't have done it without you. As a thank you for tuning in, sharing our podcast with your friends, and being part of this amazing community, we're giving away Standlee free product coupons and some fun swag. For your chance to win, all you have to do is rate and review the Beyond the Barn Podcast on Apple Podcast or Spotify and fill out our short survey linked in the show notes. That's it! Thank you for being part of our journey, Dr. Cubitt and I truly couldn't do this without you.

 

Katy Starr (01:18):

Welcome back to another episode of Beyond the Barn. On today's episode, we get to chat with Sarah Dean, the incredible artist behind Sarah Dean Arts, whose breathtaking equine artwork brings the spirit, beauty, and raw emotion of horses to life. Born and raised in Colorado, she has been drawing horses since she could first hold a crayon. Seven years ago, she transformed her lifelong passion for equine art into a thriving business. Welcome to the Beyond the Barn podcast, Sarah.

 

Sarah Dean (01:51):

Hi Katy. I am so excited to be here and get to chat with you today.

 

Katy Starr (01:56):

Yeah, it's going to be so great for our listeners to have a chance to get to know you, kind of your background with horses and what brought you to here today and what you're doing. And so why don't you, just to get us started, tell us a little bit about where you grew up and your background with horses.

 

Sarah Dean (02:16):

Yeah, so I got to grow up in rural-ish Colorado. I lived on like 10 acres, so not a big farm or anything, but we had a little bit of land. So, we kind of always had horses. And just living out in the country, you're kind of always around other people with horses. I don't know exactly what it was, like when the bug first bit, you know, the horse crazy bug .

 

Katy Starr (02:39):

Yeah.

 

Sarah Dean (02:40):

When you're a little kid. But I think I just always had it and my parents were really sweet. They helped me find people who were willing to give me lessons because we didn't have the funds to, you know, well certainly not like buy right away. So, they exchanged like singing lessons I think for someone else to give me horseback riding lessons.

 

Katy Starr (03:00):

Nice.

 

Sarah Dean (03:00):

That kind of thing.

 

Katy Starr (03:00):

Yeah.

 

Sarah Dean (03:01):

It's a lot of scrounging and scraping just to get me around them as much as possible. And from then on, that was just it for me. That was like the most important thing in my life, honestly. So in my teenage years I spent time as a working student at like several local barns. Again, just to kind of learn as much as possible, be around horses as much as possible. I was lucky enough to find my first horse on Craigslist for very cheap .

 

Katy Starr (03:28):

Yeah. That's Craigslist for you huh? .

 

Sarah Dean (03:31):

Yeah, he was somebody's problem horse. He was too much for their 4-H kids and I was 15 and stupid and like, oh I can, great !

 

Katy Starr (03:41):

Invincible !

 

Sarah Dean (03:41):

Hand him to me! Exactly. And thankfully he turned out to be a very patient, a very patient horse. He was very good to me .

 

Katy Starr (03:48):

That's awesome.

 

Sarah Dean (03:49):

And then, of course, I have always been drawing as well. I don't think I could pinpoint a time when I wasn't doodling, whatever, you know? And as a kid I knew I wanted to get my art out there. Like it wasn't ever a private thing. It was something I really enjoyed sharing with people. And honestly, I think I wanted to get paid for it. I was like, I could do something with this. Like I get, you know ?

 

Katy Starr (04:14):

And look at you now! .

 

Sarah Dean (04:15):

Yeah. Oh well, thank you . But I remember getting my mom to drive me up and down, because we kind of lived in the country, right? So, you can't just like walk door to door, everything's too far apart.

 

Katy Starr (04:24):

Right.

 

Sarah Dean (04:24):

So, I got my mom to drive me around to knock on neighbor's doors to see if I could get anyone to hire me for a horse portrait. Nobody bit at the time and grade school me was a little disappointed but .

 

Katy Starr (04:38):

Yeah. But good for you for trying though. I mean that ambition started early on.

 

Sarah Dean (04:42):

Yeah, yeah, yeah. And then, as like a high schooler maybe, I started selling small commissions online, like in fan spaces and stuff, you know, like draw somebody's character for a story they were writing, something like that. So, I've kind of always been trying to get my foot in the door and get my art out there and get it seen in some way or another. Like I just really wanted to share it and then somehow I'm here. I don't know, , but that's kind of where it all started, I think is just like, again, from a very young age, completely horse obsessed and that's all I ever wanted to draw. So, I put a lot of hours into it.

 

Katy Starr (05:19):

That's awesome. So, when you started riding when you were younger, were your parents involved with horses or anything like that? Were they horse people?

 

Sarah Dean (05:27):

They were not at all. They wanted to live out in the country. They wanted to raise their kids out in the country where we could have chickens and dogs. And I think we had cows for a short period, when I was like really young. I don't remember it very well. And then, when they kind of realized how much I loved horses, they made that a possibility. Like, you know, we had the setup for it, we had the land for it. So, they were just really committed to making sure I could like, you know, have a good childhood and pursue what I wanted to pursue. And I feel very lucky about that. We had some rancher acquaintances, I think, who had some very senior ex Quarter-Horse racehorses, I think.

 

Katy Starr (06:06):

Yeah.

 

Sarah Dean (06:06):

They were quite old .

 

Katy Starr (06:08):

Yeah.

 

Sarah Dean (06:08):

But I think we were able to give them a soft landing place because they didn't want them on the feed mill anymore. And my parents were like, well I don't know, we'll toss around anything. Like these seem safe enough, like go for it .

 

Katy Starr (06:18):

Yeah. Yeah.

 

Sarah Dean (06:19):

So, that's where we started. And then again, as a middle schooler thereabout, then I was able to, kind of, find my horse after those horses, of course, had, you know, passed on.

 

Katy Starr (06:29):

Yeah. I feel like behind every horse girl is a like set of very supportive parents.

 

Sarah Dean (06:38):

Yeah.

 

Katy Starr (06:39):

Whether they were involved in horses or not. Like there's so much that has to happen to be able to be involved with horses, I think. Especially if you're like showing or doing any of that kind of stuff. So, I feel like it's just, kind of, like what happens when you get really into horses is having parents that really want to see you and you know, follow your passions and succeed and what you're trying to do.

 

Sarah Dean (07:01):

Yeah. Yeah. Exactly, and that's something I've always felt from my family. Is a lot of support for my passions, which I think greatly contributed to me having the confidence to, you know, pursue self-employment in this way .

 

Katy Starr (07:13):

Right, right. Because that's another thing. Right? Especially probably as you were doing that, that might have been more on the tail end of when it wasn't always, I guess seen as the best choice, right? With doing something in the arts, whether it be like photography or art or something like that. They're usually, and I don't know, I'm curious to know, have you heard from others? Probably not your parents, but have you heard from others that like, oh you need to get a real job. Or like?

 

Sarah Dean (07:40):

Oh yeah!

 

Katy Starr (07:40):

Because I feel like it's been like that sometimes. As a photographer, I know that I've heard that before.

 

Sarah Dean (07:45):

Yeah. Yeah. Definitely. I, thankfully that's not something I've run up against too much. But it's very common, I think, from other artists being discouraged by parents, professors, like anybody in an authority position to be like, you need to go do something that actually makes you money. You're never going to make it at this. And it like, it is hard. It is a hard industry to be a part of.

 

Katy Starr (08:06):

Yeah.

 

Sarah Dean (08:06):

As like, you know, as a photographer yourself. I'm sure you understand.

 

Katy Starr (08:09):

Yeah.

 

Sarah Dean (08:10):

So, I like, you know, I understand the words of caution, but very grateful that I had a lot of support from the very beginning.

 

Katy Starr (08:16):

That's so awesome. And do you have a heart horse? Can you tell us a little bit more about them?

 

Sarah Dean (08:23):

Oh, you know , I don't know if I do. So, I've owned two horses in my lifetime that are like mine. The first one was that Craigslist horse, his name was Archie. And I got him when he was eight, I think. He was not papered or anything, so that's a guess. And he was the horse that carried me through those teenage years all the way up to like mid-twenties. And he was such a good boy. He had his faults as they all do. And I certainly don't think I was a perfect horse owner as a teenager. Like as I was, you know, learning and growing myself.

 

Katy Starr (08:56):

Right.

 

Sarah Dean (08:56):

He put up with a lot and .

 

Katy Starr (08:58):

Yeah.

 

Sarah Dean (08:59):

I'm very grateful for that as well. That, you know, he didn't toss me as many times as he probably deserved to .

 

Katy Starr (09:06):

.

 

Sarah Dean (09:07):

So he is now retired. He developed some pretty early onset arthritis, as well as Cushing's, and he just couldn't keep up with what our rides used to look like. So, now he lives in like 50 acres of pasture with a big herd of other retired horses. He's living his best life. Nobody asks him to do anything. .

 

Katy Starr (09:29):

Yeah. Just gets to be mm-hmm .

 

Sarah Dean (09:30):

Exactly. So, he's always going to have an incredibly special place in my heart because he was my first horse. Right? That's so hard to replace. And then currently, see that's the thing is that my two horses are so different that I don't think I could possibly say that one is more connected to me than the other. Obviously, I had Archie much longer, so we have a longer history, but my current horse I just bought last year in May. So, I haven't even quite had him a full year yet. But he's the perfect horse for me for where I am right now. His name is Cheesecake, that was his name when I got him. I was planning on changing it. He's this beautiful cremello horse, he's very fancy looking. And I was like, that's the silly name. I'm going to name him a dignified name that's . And then I got him, I brought him home and I realized like, no, his name is Cheesecake.

 

Katy Starr (10:20):

That's totally Cheesecake. Can't change it now!

 

Sarah Dean (10:22):

That is what it was always supposed to be. And he is challenging me in new ways that are just like the perfect step up for what I needed for what I want to be able to do. And I love both of them so much and I love different things about them. You know, both of them were exactly what I needed in the time of life that I got them, I think.

 

Katy Starr (10:41):

Yeah. Yeah. That's awesome. So, have you been more inclined to one discipline over the other? Have you done both English and Western? Or what is your experience in that?

 

Sarah Dean (10:53):

Yeah, so first and foremost, I'm a pleasure rider. I haven't ever done showing or anything, I haven't been inclined to do so honestly, I love to go watch. I love to go watch other people show.

 

Katy Starr (11:03):

Mm-Hmm .

 

Sarah Dean (11:03):

But I don't have the temperament for it. I'm too anxious , I would make myself sick. I mostly grew up in like the western tradition, right? So, cowboys, ranchers, that kind of thing. So, very utilitarian. Horses are there to get a job done, you know, like they just need to do what you tell them and that's it. And then, I also had the chance to work at a natural horsemanship barn when I was younger. And there are some wonderful things about that, kind of, side of the horse world, of course. But that was not the place for me. Sometimes people in the industry, like the natural horsemanship, can get like weirdly more harsh than their counterparts.

 

Sarah Dean (11:43):

I don't know if that makes any sense, but it's a lot of like, they have to, at least this particular place that I was at, it was like, the horses have to respect you. You have to like push them around and make sure they understand that you're the boss and whatever. And obviously there's, you know, you need to be safe. But that also was not really my thing. It just didn't stick with me. So, currently as an adult, I've, kind of, landed in the like classical dressage world.

 

Katy Starr (12:06):

Okay.

 

Sarah Dean (12:07):

And I love that! I absolutely love that. I got to work at CH Equine, the instructor's name is Cody Harrison, here in Colorado. He's absolutely incredible. I feel very lucky that I got to be around him and his wife when I was kind of in those formative teenage years. I still ride in Western tack. I guess I'm a western dressage rider, you might say .

 

Katy Starr (12:30):

.

 

Sarah Dean (12:30):

Just because I can't let go of the aesthetic. I love Western tack. It's also so comfy. Half the time I'm out on the trails and I would just, I'd rather be in my western saddle for that.

 

Sarah Dean (12:38):

Yeah. Yeah.

 

Sarah Dean (12:39):

But I just, I really love the deep understanding of the way that horses work and trying to figure out how their brains work and really paying attention to exactly where they're putting each individual foot and how you, as the rider, can make the tiniest adjustments to communicate with every single little different body part. You know? That's just so fascinating. And I think I could study this and learn this for a whole lifetime, and I would never have it completely figured out.

Katy Starr (13:07):

Yeah. That's awesome. What would you say is maybe like a standout memory for you as a kid with horses? Like, do you have something that, kind of, comes to mind when you think about being a kid with horses that you will never forget?

 

Sarah Dean (13:20):

You know what, it's a little silly, but I was maybe five or six. I was pretty young when, you know, the animated movie Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron, every horse girl knows that.

 

Katy Starr (13:31):

Oh yeah. .

 

Sarah Dean (13:33):

It came out in theaters when I was like right at this formative age. So, I had a relative take me to go see it. And I just, something about seeing all those horses on the big screen in front of me with the music and the everything. That just like completely cemented it. I like to joke to my husband that like that movie is the mold that like somebody put my little 5-year-old brain in and then like that solidified my interests for the rest of my life. .

 

Katy Starr (14:00):

That's awesome. Look at the influence that these movies have on people. .

 

Sarah Dean (14:04):

Yeah. .

 

Katy Starr (14:07):

Oh yeah. That's awesome. Yeah. That was good. So, you kind of talked about this a little bit before, even as a kid, you felt like you were going to one day have a career working in the equine industry. Was it always more art or was it always more like equine focused? Or did you always have this vision that I'm going to do art and equine together when I grow up?

 

Sarah Dean (14:31):

Yeah, I definitely knew that I wanted to work in the arts. That was just kind of something I intrinsically knew that I wanted to do. Like even, you know, when you get your first jobs and it's like retail and food service and stuff, kind of the rite of passage for everybody. I knew that was just a placeholder, until I could do what I actually wanted to do . And I didn't know exactly what that was going to be. Actually, I was a tattoo apprentice for like a year.

 

Katy Starr (14:55):

Okay.

 

Sarah Dean (14:56):

At some point. Yeah. And it turns out I enjoy being tattooed. I have quite a few, but I don't actually enjoy working in that environment. .

 

Katy Starr (15:03):

Yeah. Yeah.

 

Sarah Dean (15:03):

So, that wasn't quite it. But I stuck my toe in a few different things before going completely self-employed. And I was, like I said before, I was a working student at a few different barns. And I think that was a really great experience. First of all, for any horse owner, I think, is to just be around a bigger barn that you can learn from. But I wasn't ever planning on going into the industry as in, you know, opening my own barn or being a riding instructor or something. That just wasn't quite it for me. But yeah, the art and horses together have always been completely linked in my mind.

 

Katy Starr (15:37):

I feel like that's so amazing that you could take two things that you have always loved so much in your life, melded them together into what you're doing now. Like, it's almost like a perfect career path, really.

 

Sarah Dean (15:51):

Yeah. Really! Well, and that's the thing, is that I think you can really tell that you're doing the thing that you're like meant to do, if you will, when you don't ever see yourself stopping. This isn't something I'm going to retire from. I'm going to do this until the very end .

 

Katy Starr (16:05):

Yeah.

 

Sarah Dean (16:05):

You know?

 

Katy Starr (16:05):

Yeah.

 

Sarah Dean (16:06):

And it's never going to get old for me. That's another thing that I see some artists struggle with is like, oh, you know, I want to paint or I want to draw, but I don't really know what to paint or draw. That's also just not a thing that I've ever really struggled with. I have such a huge backlog of horse art that I want to make. It's going to take me the rest of my life...

 

Katy Starr (16:26):

Your whole life .

 

Sarah Dean (16:26):

To get through it. Exactly.

 

Katy Starr (16:28):

, that's a good problem to have. Yeah.

 

Sarah Dean (16:30):

Yeah. Oh yeah.

 

Katy Starr (16:31):

That's awesome. What do you feel has been your most challenging experience since you've started your equine art?

 

Sarah Dean (16:39):

That definitely has to be learning to market myself. It's not all just me painting in the studio. .

 

Katy Starr (16:47):

Yeah.

 

Sarah Dean (16:47):

I wish it were, but honestly, most of my time is taken up by the actual business side of running an art business. Unfortunately, .

 

Katy Starr (16:55):

Yeah. Entrepreneurship.

 

Sarah Dean (16:57):

Yeah!

 

Katy Starr (16:57):

It takes you away from the stuff that you actually want to do. Oh yeah. Yeah.

 

Sarah Dean (17:01):

Right, yeah. I would say it's probably 20% making art and the rest of it is admin work, marketing, emails, taxes, et cetera.

 

Katy Starr (17:09):

All that. Yeah.

 

Sarah Dean (17:10):

But that all has to be done. Right? Like you can be the best artist in the whole world and if no one knows your work is there, what's it all for? You know? Like I'd still be painting just for myself, because it brings me joy, but also, I'm here to share it with people.

 

Katy Starr (17:24):

Right.

 

Sarah Dean (17:25):

So, you kind of have to be able to navigate. Right now, it's social media, right? Like, 30 years ago it was, maybe, more the gallery system.

 

Katy Starr (17:33):

Right.

 

Sarah Dean (17:33):

That was like, you know, your best avenue into getting your work out there. But these days, it's the internet and you have to be willing to learn what's popular and what gets eyeballs on your work. You know?

 

Katy Starr (17:45):

What's going to engage people?

 

Sarah Dean (17:47):

Yes.

 

Katy Starr (17:47):

And capture their interest.

 

Sarah Dean (17:50):

Yeah. What's going to make you stand out?

 

Katy Starr (17:52):

Right.

 

Sarah Dean (17:52):

From the other billion people that are...

 

Katy Starr (17:54):

Right!

 

Sarah Dean (17:54):

Trying to get your attention on Instagram, you know?

 

Katy Starr (17:57):

No kidding. Yeah, for sure.

 

Sarah Dean (17:59):

Yeah.

 

Katy Starr (17:59):

Yeah. It's a whole different world, I think, with that. I think it's easier access and I feel it's probably the same with any kind of creative field. You have so many more opportunities at your fingertips. Resources for education, learning, I mean, it could never be better. But there again, the competition is a whole other level as well, so.

 

Sarah Dean (18:19):

Right. Yeah.

 

Katy Starr (18:19):

Yeah.

 

Sarah Dean (18:19):

The competition and also the self-discipline to keep yourself on task.

 

Katy Starr (18:24):

Yes.

 

Sarah Dean (18:24):

.

 

Katy Starr (18:24):

Yeah!

 

Sarah Dean (18:25):

I think that's a really important component in working for yourself, is being able to get yourself to do the things that you don't want to do .

 

Katy Starr (18:33):

, got to do it.

 

Sarah Dean (18:34):

Yeah, exactly.

 

Katy Starr (18:35):

That's awesome. What would you say is your favorite part of being an equine artist?

 

Sarah Dean (18:40):

Oh, it's the connection with other horse enthusiasts. I mean, anyone who collects art and consumes art has a passion for the subject that they're interested in.

 

Katy Starr (18:50):

Yeah.

 

Sarah Dean (18:50):

You know? Whether it be landscapes, whatever. I think horse people are a certain kind of person, in that they're so passionate.

 

Katy Starr (18:58):

Yeah.

 

Sarah Dean (18:58):

About the subject matter. So, I not only get to sell my original works and have those connect to people, which is so incredible. Like I just, I take an idea out of my brain and someone wants to have it in their home. That is so crazy to me. But I also get to work a lot one-on-one with clients. So, commissioned work, memorial pieces, that kind of thing. And I feel like I really get to know their horses and they've trusted me to create something special for them. And that's, I don't take that lightly.

 

Katy Starr (19:25):

Yeah, for sure. When I was kind of researching for your interview, you had a video on your website that I wrote down a quote that you said, and I just, I wrote it down because I felt something when you said it.

 

Sarah Dean (19:38):

Oh, .

 

Katy Starr (19:38):

And it reminds me, so you said, I think if you want to make really good art, it needs to come from a place of you deeply knowing your subject matter. And I feel like there couldn't be more truth to that statement because you can put a facade in place of like whatever you want to do. Right? But if you don't really know the industry, the subject of what it is you are trying to portray in your art, like you can't fake that. Really. One of the things that you talked about, I think, and this could have been in one of your posts or something like that too, about how you know the horse so well with riding. You do all of that yourself. And so, you know exactly how the tack lays on the horse in the right curve. And I was just like, it was just a really great way, I feel like, for you to describe knowing your subject so well.

 

Sarah Dean (20:36):

Yeah. Well that's the other thing, right? Horse people are so passionate that I think they'd be able to tell immediately .

 

Katy Starr (20:43):

That is 100% the truth. Yes.

 

Sarah Dean (20:44):

Right. Like if you got something wrong, like if you're, you know, you're watching a movie and you can tell it wasn't made by someone who knows horses very well and you pick out immediately when they do something wrong and it takes you out of the whole movie, you know, like that. So, yeah. Yeah. I think that plays a huge part in why I'm able to make art that connects with other equestrians and other horse lovers, is that I like to think that they can tell that I mean it, you know?

 

Sarah Dean (21:07):

Yeah.

 

Katy Starr (21:07):

That like, this is so personal to me. And that, yeah. I have some of that technical knowledge too that like, it takes a really long time to pick up .

 

Katy Starr (21:15):

Yeah.

 

Sarah Dean (21:15):

Exactly where all of the straps go and all of the, you know, it's constantly learning new things.

 

Katy Starr (21:20):

Yeah. That's amazing. So, throughout your artistic journey, you've shifted a little bit, and I think earlier when we were talking about, especially on social media, kind of finding your unique path and what sets yourself apart from others. You previously did more pencil work, which very intricate, very beautiful. But you've shifted to oil painting. Can you walk us through what inspired that shift and how that feels for you now?

 

Sarah Dean (21:53):

Yeah, yeah, absolutely. So, I started with pencils when I was a kid. That was kind of my medium of choice. And when you're a really young artist, your goal is to get as close to realism as possible. So, you are trying to get closer and closer to the photograph . And that's how you gauge, am I making progress or not.

 

Katy Starr (22:14):

Right.

 

Sarah Dean (22:14):

And I think once you get to a certain level of photorealism, you have to change something up. Otherwise you're just copying a photo, you're copying someone else's work and you're not bringing anything else to it. I think it's important to learn all of those technical details and have a really good foundation. You know, have a really good grasp of the medium, of proportion, you know, like you have to know the rules before you can break them. But at a certain point you have to break them or else you're not making original authentic art.

 

Sarah Dean (22:44):

You know? So, I kind of picked up oil paints in high school. I was able to take some lessons from a local artist, named Judith Dickinson. She's also a professional oil painter. She's been doing this a really long time. She's amazing. And so, I kind of got to learn just how oil paints worked and what order to do things in from her. And then, I didn't use them for a really long time because I was used to pencils and oils take forever to dry. I found them really intimidating. I didn't enjoy it .

 

Katy Starr (23:10):

Yeah.

 

Sarah Dean (23:11):

But I put them down for the longest time. And then, when I decided I wanted to do this professionally and pursue it full time, I just felt kind of stagnated by the pencil works. I didn't feel like I was bringing anything new or interesting to my art. So, I dug out all my old oil paints, which I still had. And that's also the nice thing about oils. They last forever .

 

Katy Starr (23:29):

That's awesome.

 

Sarah Dean (23:30):

So, they were all still really good and just, I had to play around with it a little bit and it took me several years before I felt like I was actually comfortable with oil paints. And then, it took a couple years after that for me to start leaning into a more stylized approach.

 

Katy Starr (23:49):

Yeah.

 

Sarah Dean (23:49):

Like, kind of what I do now.

 

Katy Starr (23:51):

Right.

 

Sarah Dean (23:51):

Is using bigger brushes and trying to omit as much detail as possible as opposed to, you know, what I was doing a decade ago, which is trying to get the most detail I could cram into one tiny space. But one of the things I love about oil paints is you have this ability to suggest a scene and let your audience fill in the details. I still have people tell me they mistake my work for a photograph, which is crazy to me.

 

Katy Starr (24:17):

Yeah.

 

Sarah Dean (24:17):

Because it's all very stylized. But if I'm doing my job right, I can use just a couple of brush strokes and your brain will fill in all of those details for me. That's the goal.

 

Katy Starr (24:29):

Yeah. Yeah. That's awesome. Well, and I noticed, kind of, going through your videos that there was this shift. You talked about how it took you a couple years once you got back into oil painting.

 

Sarah Dean (24:41):

Mm-hmm .

 

Katy Starr (24:41):

To, kind of, feel your rhythm and get your style figured out. And I know this is a common question that you get, because I've seen you make some videos on it. But you start off your background with, I think you called it like burnt sienna.

 

Sarah Dean (24:53):

Yeah. Yeah.

 

Katy Starr (24:54):

Is that right?

 

Sarah Dean (24:54):

Everybody else calls it orange, .

 

Katy Starr (24:55):

Orange! Yeah. Yeah. Well I picked up on the "Burnt Sienna" and I was like, I like that . But talk to us about that a little bit, because that like is like your undertone for the whole piece. So, why do you do that and what does that mean for you?

 

Sarah Dean (25:10):

Yeah, so that's a very old oil painting technique. A lot of the original masters used an under painting. So, what it does is it just, it tones the canvas for you so it's not bright, bright white anymore. It gives you a more neutral value to paint on. So, in terms of like light and dark, it kind of brings it somewhere in the middle. So, you have a really neutral canvas to start on. Because I'm sure you've seen those optical illusions, where it's like two gray circles that are the same kind of gray and one is on a black background, and one is on a white background and they look completely different.

 

Katy Starr (25:47):

Yeah.

 

Sarah Dean (25:47):

And you have to like drag them together to believe that they're the same gray.

 

Katy Starr (25:50):

They're even the same. Yeah.

 

Sarah Dean (25:51):

Exactly. So, sometimes applying colors on a bright white canvas can make them look completely different. You don't even realize it until you get to the end and then you're like, oh, that doesn't look at all like how I wanted it to look. So, this just kind of sets me up for success in that way. And also, I don't have to cover the whole canvas. I, if you zoom in on like any given painting of mine, you'll see a lot of that orange poking through.

 

Katy Starr (26:16):

Yeah.

 

Sarah Dean (26:16):

The background. And that just gives me a lot of freedom to play around with my brush strokes and not have to worry about covering every single inch of the canvas.

 

New Speaker (26:25):

Yeah.

 

Sarah Dean (26:25):

It also, it's got a lot of uses. It's a very fun technique. I like it a lot. Yeah. It also allows light to shine through the underpainting and bounce back at the viewer. So, you're just, you're getting a lot of depth that you wouldn't get if you skipped it and just went straight to the painting phase.

 

Katy Starr (26:42):

Yeah, yeah. That's awesome. I love that. I love your style. I love your style of art. What would you say is probably the most common question that you get on social media about your art and experience with horses?

 

Sarah Dean (26:56):

Ooh. Well, the first one is, why are you painting the canvas orange?

 

Katy Starr (26:59):

Yeah, that's definitely the first .

 

Sarah Dean (27:00):

That's number one. . I have a video pinned in my profile explaining what that is. If anyone goes to look at my profile, they can find the answer. But that's definitely my most common question. And the second one is, honestly, probably like, why horses?

 

Katy Starr (27:14):

Mm-Hmm .

 

Sarah Dean (27:14):

Like, why don't you paint anything else? And the answer to that is, because I don't want to. I've played around with, you know, I love painting landscapes. Like most, half my pieces, have big, beautiful landscapes in them. I really enjoy that too. I like painting cows, also. You know, I like dabbling in a little western Americana, that appeals to me too. But the thing I always come back to, is just how much I love horses. That's the basis for all the art that I make, honestly. And that like, why would I try to get away from that? You know?

 

Katy Starr (27:44):

Yeah.

 

Sarah Dean (27:45):

The passion. If the passion is still there, that's what I want to follow.

 

Katy Starr (27:50):

Yeah. Well, and I think you're at a point in your business where you have the ability to say no if you want to say no, and you can create exactly what you want to create. Because I feel like any artist, right, when it comes again to any creative medium, whenever they're getting started, you end up doing, you dabble in everything, you do all the little bits of everything, because you're just trying to get jobs and things like that. But there becomes a point where you just have the ability to say, this is what I want to do because it brings me so much joy. Or it's just, I just have this connection with this that makes it, you know, worth it for me to do this every day.

 

Sarah Dean (28:33):

Yeah. When I first started out my business, I took kind of whatever people would give me in terms of commissions. It was still mostly horses, because that's what my art was, you know? So, that was the kind of people I attracted. But, you know, I did people, I did dogs. And it's just not my strong suit. It's not, you know, there's that saying that it takes like 10,000 hours to be good at something. And I've put in my 10,000 hours of drawing courses. You know, I haven't necessarily done that with every other subject matter in the world. So, I think it also just plays to my strengths to paint what I want to paint. And then, my clients are getting better art. They're getting, you know, anyone who commissions me is getting my best work because I'm getting to paint what I love, you know?

 

Katy Starr (29:14):

Yeah, yeah. And it's your specialty. Yeah. That's such a great way to look at it. I love that so much. Can you tell us about your favorite or most meaningful equine art piece that you've completed? Like, what has been the most meaningful one for you and what made it so impactful?

 

Sarah Dean (29:32):

That is so hard to pick, first of all. . To pick between your babies.

 

Katy Starr (29:37):

.

 

Sarah Dean (29:37):

You know? It's hard to narrow it down, but I do actually have one that kind of stands out in my mind. It's a piece called Golden Hour. It's on the gallery page in my website. I think it's maybe the first painting on that page. I had a period a couple years ago where I really had hit a wall, marketing wise, all the algorithms changed when TikTok came around and you had to start making video.

 

Katy Starr (30:00):

Yeah.

 

Sarah Dean (30:00):

And I didn't want to. And I was really intimidated by it. And I didn't want to change or like try to learn, you know, I was like, I should be able to do what I've been doing and still be fine. I don't get it.

 

Katy Starr (30:09):

I just want to do my art .

 

Sarah Dean (30:10):

Yeah. Yeah.

 

Katy Starr (30:11):

Why are you making me do stuff?

 

Sarah Dean (30:12):

And it's like, okay, you can do that, but then you're not going to reach as many people as maybe you wanted to.

 

Katy Starr (30:16):

Right.

 

Sarah Dean (30:17):

So, the numbers really dropped. And I, kind of, faltered with my feeling confident in my pricing and knowing,, kind of what my offerings were. And I was just starting to play around with changing my style too. So, I felt, kind of, unsure about what I even had to offer people. If I wanted to continue to do this. You know? Because, you know, some people talk about trying to turn their passion into a business and having it kill their passion.

 

Katy Starr (30:40):

One hundred percent. Yeah.

 

Sarah Dean (30:42):

Strips away everything that they found fun about that. You know? So, I kind of considered, I took about a year off of pursuing full-time art, just to, kind of, reassess what I wanted to do. I tried several different things. None of them worked, I kept coming back to art and this being what I wanted to do. But in the meantime, it was really painful to look in my studio and see these half-finished pieces that I had just, kind of, sat down. And I was so frustrated and so unhappy with it that I just didn't even want to look at them for a while. And then, I had this piece, Golden Hour, that I had like my first coat down on, like my first coat of paint. But I hadn't done anything with it besides that. And I just kept looking at it and it was so unfinished. And I ended up getting the flu at some point, I think. And I don't do well being sick. I hate resting, I hate it. So, I was stuck in the house. I was so bored, but I didn't feel good, so I couldn't do anything.

 

Sarah Dean (31:36):

And I was like, you know what? Painting is just sitting there. So, I maybe would have the energy to try that, you know? And all my brushes felt very unfamiliar. It felt really weird to get back at it. But I just felt so vulnerable painting again after taking that break. And it's, it's almost like this piece, kind of, welcomed me back, this piece, golden hour. It was just, it was waiting for me. And it was there when I was ready to pick it back up again. And it was so meaningful to me when I finally finished it. I didn't finish it in that one session, but that was just me, kind of, dipping my toe back in and thinking, maybe I could actually get back into this.

 

Katy Starr (32:14):

Yeah.

 

Sarah Dean (32:14):

Maybe I could actually do this again. When I fully, like full steam picked my business back up again in 2023, I want to say that was one of the first pieces that I finished. I mean, somebody bought it during one of my first collection launches and I cried.

 

Katy Starr (32:28):

Aw.

 

Sarah Dean (32:28):

So, that piece means a lot to me.

 

Katy Starr (32:30):

That's awesome. I love that. And what has been probably your favorite piece of art among your followers? Is there one that has gotten more traction or engagement on it than other ones?

 

Sarah Dean (32:46):

Yeah, of course. People like the, you know, the ones that are big and flashy, usually do a little bit better. So I'll, you know, I'll get a spike if I'm, you know, if I have a piece like that come along. But I had one commissioned painting last year that blew everything else out of the water, numbers wise. It was kind of overwhelming, honestly. It was this cowboy cookout piece. It was a big, like 30 by 40. You might have seen it, I don't know.

 

Katy Starr (33:11):

I know exactly what you're talking about. I see it right here.

 

Sarah Dean (33:14):

Exactly. It's got this big sweeping sunset, Cowboys cooking at the campfire, Chuck Wagon, cattle in the background. It was commissioned by this really sweet gentleman from Oklahoma. He owns Main Street Barbecue in Durant, Oklahoma.

 

Katy Starr (33:29):

Oh. Awesome!

 

Sarah Dean (33:30):

If anyone is around there, go.

 

Katy Starr (33:31):

Go check it out! See her painting!

 

Sarah Dean (33:32):

Exactly. The reviews are good, but also my painting is hanging there.

 

Katy Starr (33:35):

Nice.

 

Sarah Dean (33:36):

So, that's what he commissioned it for was to hang up in the restaurant. So, he wanted something with some real cowboy barbecue flavor to it.

 

Katy Starr (33:43):

Oh, how perfect.

 

Sarah Dean (33:44):

People really liked that one. The videos did really well. .

 

Katy Starr (33:47):

Oh yeah. Yeah. That was such a good piece. I love that.

 

Sarah Dean (33:50):

Oh, thank you.

 

Katy Starr (33:51):

So, you've talked about, obviously, how you do your custom commissions and everything and you get to work one-on-one with clients, but something that you've been doing are your annual collections, which I'm always excited to see the next piece that you're going to do with it. But tell us a little bit more about that process, what you do, because you don't just, you know, put it online to sell right away or anything like that. Tell us a little bit about how you go about your whole picking the theme and everything to do with the collection.

 

Sarah Dean (34:22):

Yeah, yeah. So, right now I have kind of settled into this rhythm of doing two collections a year. I really like it. I started dabbling with it again in 2023. I actually had a client commission; a nocturne piece from me. So, it's a nighttime painting, right? It, you take a really bright daylight picture and mess with the color until it's blue and it looks like a moonlit painting. It was really fun.

 

Katy Starr (34:50):

Yeah, cool!

 

Sarah Dean (34:50):

It was really challenging, and it's a really classic western scene. Like a lot of the old Western painters did nocturne scenes, and I really enjoyed getting to do that. And I found the color palette really challenging, mixing all those blues. I don't work with that very often. So, I wanted to just do a small series of paintings to practice, really. To get a little bit better at it.

 

Sarah Dean (35:13):

And when I was done, I had like, maybe like six paintings. None of them were very big, but I really liked how they turned out. So, I decided to release them all as a collection, all together. I have a newsletter that you can subscribe to and that's where you can, kind of, get all the insider scoop on when my stuff is coming out. So, that's who I released it to first, and they sold out. People really liked them! So, I decided to do prints after that because they disappeared so fast. I wasn't expecting it. So, I have a wonderful local print shop that I partner with. So, they're able to take all those orders. So, I did a print release, maybe not right after that first one. It might've been after, maybe I did one more collection, and then I did print of all of them.

 

Sarah Dean (35:53):

But I discovered that I've really enjoyed being able to dive into a subject in great detail. You know? To really explore all avenues of this idea. Instead of just painting, oh, I want to paint one nighttime painting, and then I want to do one bucking bronco painting. And then, I want to, you know, like bouncing pinballing in between a bunch of different ideas to just sit down, focus on one, and really get everything I want out of that. And then, offer that to people. So, it helps me creatively in the way that it, kind of, just like focuses my energy. And then, I really like being able to kind of get people excited for it. Like you were saying. Like get people excited for each piece as they're coming out. And kind of, look forward to it and build up a little anticipation. And then, be able to offer it to, kind of, the insiders, the email subscribers, the ones who are committed to keeping an eye on my work. That works really well for me.

 

Katy Starr (36:48):

Yeah. What theme are you working on currently?

 

Sarah Dean (36:51):

Ooh, right now it's a rodeo collection. The National Western Stock Show just happened in January. And I had it planned before that, I had it planned last year. I knew I was going to do that, but it was fun to be able to go see the stock show and, kind of, get a little extra excited. So, it's a lot of bucking broncs. It's a lot of cowboys; it's a lot of roping. It's a decent amount of, I have some cattle, some bulls in there. It's a lot of fun. I'm really playing with some bright colors and abstract backgrounds. Just like a lot of energy. I want to bring a lot of energy to this one.

 

Katy Starr (37:22):

Yeah. That's so cool. What would you say is probably the most important thing that horses have taught you in your life so far?

 

Sarah Dean (37:32):

I think the most important thing would be mindfulness. Honestly. Being incredibly aware of the energy that you're putting out when you're with your horse. They will pick up on anything. And if you don't even know what you're feeling, you're going to be negatively impacting your horse in so many ways. If you bring a bunch of anxiety or frustration into your barn time, you know, it's not going to be good. So, being mindful of yourself, being mindful during your rides in the way that you're not bringing a bunch of expectation to the ride. Not that you can't have a plan and train for something specific, but letting go of those expectations so that you don't end up getting really frustrated because your horse is an animal. You're an animal. You can both have off days. Like being able to adjust to exactly what your horse needs in that moment. Yeah, I think that's really important.

 

Katy Starr (38:24):

That's good. I like that. Who would you say in your life has been your greatest inspiration? Tell us a little bit about them.

 

Sarah Dean (38:33):

Oh man. Like, just in general, like with art, with horses? .

 

Katy Starr (38:37):

It could be art, horses, overall, in life. It could honestly be, when I say that, what's like the first, maybe the first person that pops up in your head?

 

Sarah Dean (38:47):

Yeah. Honestly, I think it might be one of the barn owners that I was a working student for. Cody Harrison. He just had a way of working with horses that was different than anything else I had experienced. And I think that really set beyond the path, to trying to understand horses the way that I do today. And I think that's just such a huge part of the way I interact with the world, you know? So, yeah. Yeah, I think so. One of my favorite memories from getting to take lessons with him, actually, was him putting me on, you know, one of his seasoned school horses in the round pen, having me put my arms behind my back and close my eyes and then just sit all the three gates with my eyes closed and my hands, you know, stationary . And that was so, like, such a light bulb moment of being like, oh, you can actually be incredibly connected to your horse. Like you can feel these things.

 

Katy Starr (39:43):

Yeah.

 

Sarah Dean (39:44):

You know? And, I don't know, I'll just, I'll always remember that. I think.

 

Katy Starr (39:48):

That's cool. That's such a great memory. I love that. And what advice would you give to anyone listening who has big dreams of, you know, becoming an equine artist or maybe even just making an unexpected career in the equine industry?

 

Sarah Dean (40:05):

Practice, you need a lot of practice. . You have to be good at what you do. Be honest about what you still have to learn. I think be willing to work on the things that, you know, you still need to work on and be ready to put a lot of work into it. But it's worth it. You know, it consumes so much energy and so much more time than, you know, maybe a regular nine to five would, but it's so fulfilling if that's what you actually want to do.

 

Katy Starr (40:30):

Yeah.

 

Sarah Dean (40:31):

Yeah.

 

Katy Starr (40:31):

That's good. And you said that Cheesecake likes some Standlee. So, what would you say is your favorite Standlee product?

 

Sarah Dean (40:41):

Oh, yes. Yes, he does. Yeah. He really enjoys the Apple Berry Cookie Cubes. To be fair, he'll eat anything you put in front of his nose. I really like the Apple Berry Cookie Cubes because I know they're high-quality. They're not crazy high in sugar, because he'd get fat on air. So, having a good, high-quality, tasty treat that I know is also good for him makes me feel better.

 

Katy Starr (41:04):

. That's awesome. Yeah, those are good ones too.

 

Sarah Dean (41:07):

They're good ones. And you can kind of break them up into smaller pieces too, if you, you know, you don't want them to eat 20 treats in one day.

 

Katy Starr (41:15):

Yeah. Yeah. Okay. I want to try a new thing with you and we'll see how this goes. But I want to do some rapid fire questions. So, we talked a little bit about, I think touched on a couple little things, but I want you to quickly just, whatever comes to mind, I want you to just answer and we'll just see how this goes. Okay. English or Western?

 

Sarah Dean (41:36):

Western.

 

Katy Starr (41:37):

Morning rides or evening rides?

 

Sarah Dean (41:40):

Ooh, morning.

 

Katy Starr (41:41):

Describe your horse in three words.

 

Sarah Dean (41:44):

I'm going to do this for Cheesecake, my current mount. I would describe him as curious, energetic, and sensitive.

 

Katy Starr (41:51):

Favorite horse movie of all time.

 

Sarah Dean (41:54):

It has to be Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron. It's hard to beat . It holds up.

 

Katy Starr (41:58):

. Favorite horse breed?

 

Sarah Dean (42:02):

I might have to go with an Iberian breed, like the Andalusians.

 

Katy Starr (42:09):

Oh yeah, yeah, yeah.

 

Sarah Dean (42:11):

Yeah, yeah. Uh huh.

 

Katy Starr (42:11):

Awesome.

 

Sarah Dean (42:12):

I would've said Quarter Horse, in a previous time. But Cheesecake is an Andalusian cross and I don't know if I could go back.

 

Katy Starr (42:19):

. That's awesome. Bucket list place to ride horses?

 

Sarah Dean (42:23):

Probably the beach somewhere. Colorado's landlocked, so I haven't ever gotten to ride on the beach.

 

Katy Starr (42:29):

Yeah.

 

Sarah Dean (42:29):

And I think it'd be really cool.

 

Katy Starr (42:30):

Yeah. Yeah. That's awesome. Biggest pet peeve at the barn?

 

Sarah Dean (42:34):

Cheesecake taking off his fly mask. .

 

Katy Starr (42:37):

.

 

Sarah Dean (42:38):

He's a cremello, so he has to wear a UV fly mask 24/7.

 

Katy Starr (42:42):

Yeah.

 

Sarah Dean (42:43):

And we're working on it. .

 

Katy Starr (42:44):

Doesn't always cooperate huh?

 

Sarah Dean (42:46):

No, no he does not.

 

Katy Starr (42:48):

Okay. And if your horse had a theme song, what would it be?

 

Sarah Dean (42:53):

I would use the taking flight song from How to Train Your Dragon.

 

Katy Starr (42:58):

Oh, yeah?

 

Sarah Dean (42:59):

Yeah. When the main character, Hiccup, gets to ride his dragon for the first time and he is got the wind in his face and the strings are going crazy and the music swells.

 

Katy Starr (43:09):

That's his theme song?

 

Sarah Dean (43:11):

Actually.

 

Katy Starr (43:11):

I love that! That is so cool. That's a good choice. That's awesome. Okay, so we're wrapping this episode up, but I'd like you to be able to, if there's anything else you want to share with our listeners or you can also let them know how they can stay connected with you after this episode in case they'd like to follow along your journey.

 

Sarah Dean (43:31):

Yes. I am active on social media almost every day. That's where I am in touch with people the most often. I am Sarah Dean Arts on Instagram and TikTok and Sarah Dean Art on Facebook. So, I wasn't thinking things through when I made my pages . They should really all be the same, but they're not .

 

Katy Starr (43:51):

That's okay.

 

Sarah Dean (43:52):

But if you search for Sarah Dean Art, you're going to find me. If you follow my Instagram, you get to see pictures and videos of Cheesecake on my story. You get to see my barn time and a little bit of behind the scenes stuff if you want to, if you want to see that. And then of course, my email list is the best place to keep up to date on when I have originals for sale or workshops coming up or prints, that kind of thing.

 

Katy Starr (44:14):

Awesome. We'll be sure to include your social channels and your website on our show notes. We'll link those in there so it's easy for our listeners to find. But other than that, it's been a really fun conversation with you. Just getting to know you a little bit better, the face behind the art, and all the things that you do. And to our listeners, thank you for being here with us today. We hope you enjoyed this conversation. And if you have any topic ideas that you would like us to talk about on the Beyond the Barn podcast, please reach out to me at podcast@standlee.com and I'd love to hear from you. Sarah, thanks so much for being here today.

 

Sarah Dean (44:55):

Thanks for having me. This was a ton of fun!

 

Katy Starr (44:59):

Thanks for listening to the Beyond the Barn podcast by Standlee Forage. We'd love for you to share our podcast with your favorite people and subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or your favorite listening platform. Until next time, keep your cinch tight and don't forget to turn off the water.