Meet Sabro Foster | Artist and illustrator

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

Hi Sabro, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
It wasn’t until I retired from teaching that I pursued art full time. I think I have a deep need for certainty, having grown up in a very poor single parent home, and in spite of a deep desire to create art, there was always an overwhelming need to know that the bills would be paid every month. But at the end of that career, that desire to create was still there. Art has always been there, as a tool for expression, as a point of contact with others, as therapy, as recreation and renewal.. as much of a need as a hobby.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I have drawn and sketched since I was a child, and I took a few art classes and even did a little side work as an illustrator. I started to paint, seriously after the death of my youngest son. I painted constantly and daily, with a purpose, And eventually I started to sell my work. It started with portraits and landscapes, and I moved on to wildlife. Each piece was a lesson and a challenge.

Eventually I worked my way into some galleries and artist groups, and in one of these groups the challenge for the month was to try to paint something that would evoke a strong emotion, so after pouring my grief onto canvas for weeks, I painted a triptych of self portraits, a friend in the gallery told me to take a break and to paint something else… and really that is where the robots came from. I re-painted one as a sad robot. A simple figure that somehow evoked emotion, but was plain enough for anyone to read something of themselves into it. In a small way, I had found just a bit of joy in my sadness that I could share.

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?
Food means a lot to me… El Tepeyac on the East Side? The Hat in Alhambra? Any In N Out Burger? And places with history around the city, we would definitely need to see Griffith Park, the Observatory- hike the trails and see parts of the park. We would need to see the beach, perhaps by Santa Monica… And there are a dozen museums. The Petersen, The Getty. Exposition Park…

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
There are several people, my mother was an artist and our house was filled with art supplies. There were seven of us and we were encouraged to create. There were always times when we were painting or drawing as kids.

Website: https://ArtbySabro.com

Instagram: Sabro64

Facebook: ArtbySabro