Meet Robert Roth

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Robert Roth a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Robert, really happy you were able to join us today and we’re looking forward to sharing your story and insights with our readers. Let’s start with the heart of it all – purpose. How did you find your purpose?

Honestly, I think purpose is something that comes from inside. For me, it’s always been art — making it, sharing it, getting lost in it. As a visual artist, I’m constantly playing with new ideas and just trying to stay curious and open to the things that interest me, excite me, or spark some kind of joy. When I’m digging into my own ideas — exploring, inventing, letting things evolve — that’s the good stuff, the juice! I try to keep that emotional thread running through the work and make something a little fresh, a little unexpected. And when I put it out there and someone connects with it? That’s when “purpose” actually feels real. I’ve always been into a lot of things: music, movies, random bits of culture, design, architecture — just art in every direction. Sometimes it’s total visual overload, but honestly, that’s what keeps me fueled. I think finding your purpose is mostly about connecting the dots between all the things you love and noticing what keeps coming up. In the simplest way: find what you love doing, and do more of it. For me, it always comes back to emotion and narrative. Whether it’s a quiet landscape from life or wild abstract pulled from memory, there’s beauty in both. Inspiration shows up from anywhere, really. A walk in nature, a busy street corner, a shadow on the wall. It usually starts with just staying curious. And I’ve realized it’s not about perfection at all — which really doesn’t even exist. It’s about the process: showing up, trying new things, learning as you go. That’s where the purpose sits for me.
And there’s this James Victore quote I love: “It’s so easy, it’s hard.” Kinda sums it all up.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

Sure, so, I’m Robert Roth and I’m an artist — I’ve been drawing since I was a kid, and honestly, I just never stopped. If I had to define what I do, I’d say I’ve found my place as a fine artist. I studied at the Rhode Island School of Design (BFA ’87), which opened my eyes to all kinds of approaches to thinking and self-expression — that experience was invaluable. Over the years, I’ve had some wonderful opportunities – worked on great projects with different organizations , including being an educator at The Cleveland Institute of Art and Design. Teaching was amazing, but eventually I felt that pull — that “ok, it’s time” feeling — to put all my energy into my own work. So I took the leap. Now I’m painting full-time and showing in galleries around the country, which still feels pretty surreal in the best way.
I grew up on Long Island, right near the water, and honestly, that never leaves you. The ocean, bays, little ponds — all of it is just built into my wiring. I guess it’s no surprise that those ideas keep showing up in my work. One of my on-going series is “Sky Land Sea” — these big, open landscapes inspired by that expansive horizon line. I’ve made…probably at least 400 of them so far. I’m kind of obsessed with how the sky shifts — the light, the layers, the mood. That feeling you get when you look up and suddenly everything feels bigger and quieter at the same time — that’s what I’m chasing.
Right now I’m deep into a new series called Ponds. These pieces live in this space between memory and reality — a sort of dream-state, abstract, but still grounded in nature. These paintings are a bit more introspective – They’re not literal ponds; they’re more like emotional reflections. That moment when shifting water mirrors the sky and you’re not quite sure where you are – like you’re looking into another dimension – that’s the feeling I’m trying to capture. There are eighteen works in the series so far, and I can’t wait to show them all together.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

I’d say, first off — passion. You’ve really gotta love what you do. Like, really love it. That’s what keeps you going when things get hard. For me, it’s always been art — that’s the thing that drives me. It’s what gets me up in the morning, what makes me want to keep exploring and creating. Without that fire, it’s hard to sustain the work long-term.
The second one would be staying open. You know, staying curious, always learning, trying new things. I think the moment you stop being curious, you kind of stop growing. I love experimenting — even if I don’t know where it’s going to lead — because that’s usually where the surprises happen. That’s where the work gets interesting.
And the third, hands down, is persistence. You just have to keep showing up. Every day. Even when it’s not working, even when you doubt yourself — keep at it. Make a little progress each day, try something different, push through it. I’ve learned that what feels like failure isn’t really failure; it’s just part of figuring it out- and how we learn. You regroup, you shift, you keep moving. That steady rhythm of showing up — that’s everything.

I’d say – overall, keep those three things in mind — passion, staying open, and persistence — and build from there. But I’d also add: be confident in your ideas. Trust that what you’re doing has value. Your voice, your point of view — that’s what makes you unique. Don’t let the outside noise — other people’s opinions, or the endless doom scroll of social media — throw you off your own path. Stop comparing yourself to anyone. Stop dimming your lights. Let that childlike spirit shine — that sense of play and wonder you had when you first started making things. That’s where the magic is. When you create from that place — curious, fearless, having fun — you become unstoppable.

What is the number one obstacle or challenge you are currently facing and what are you doing to try to resolve or overcome this challenge?

Honestly, I’d say the biggest challenge is staying focused on my ultimate goal — creating meaningful, genuine artwork and being able to connect and share it — while not letting the outside noise block your path. I’m also someone who has a lot of ideas spinning in my head at once. I get excited — like, “I want to do this series… and that series… and what about this totally different narrative?” Suddenly I’ve got fourteen projects dancing around in my brain and I’m thinking, ahhh, which one do I start? Which one will be good? That’s usually the moment I need to stop, take a breath, and remind myself: okay… wait… they can all be good. The whole point is the discovery — the joy of making. Not the outcome, not the judgment. You have to let all of that go if you want to create something meaningful. So, I’ve learned to keep things simple. First, I write everything down — all the ideas. Just getting them out of my head helps. Then I ask myself, which one is speaking to me right now? That’s the one I start with. Once I choose a direction, I commit to it. For example, I might give myself about a month — really focus in, see where it goes. After that time, I check in: Am I making progress? Am I excited by the direction? If yes, great — I keep going, maybe even expand the series a bit longer. And sometimes it’s done — at least for the moment — and I move on to the next project with whatever I learned from that one. There are always going to be little fires you have to put out — things that can pull you off track. That’s just life. I keep pushing through it, stay committed, trust my ideas, and show up with intention. The moment you let go of the outside chatter and truly trust your inner voice and what you love, the universe opens the door. All you have to do is walk through it.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://robertrothgallery.com
• Instagram: @robertrothpaintings