It wouldn’t be Redding if I didn't exhibit a bit of nepotism by having a family member (one of my favorite ones might I add) highlighted on the blog! So without further a do let me introduce the world to my Mother in love, Roberta, “Roby” Baer. Actually, I must rescind my statement because the world already knows who she is, but a lot of our Redding locals don’t, hence the reason for my desire to showcase and highlight a blip of her epic tale of being a small town country girl and becoming a globally recognized Master Painter.
It all started in Red Bluff California, the city where Roby made her debut into the world. Born a twin, Roby spent most of her childhood and adolescence hanging alongside her built-in bestie Becky, and playing with animals on her family farm in Palo Cedro. Well versed in the Palo Cedro school circuit, Roby attended Rother, Parsons, and later Junction school, but there was no greater education than the one she received by participating in 4-H. “It was the most amazing, pivotal part of my life,” she recounts. “It was everything to me because of the animals.” Roby was involved in the 4-H program from 13-18 years old and aside from the comfort and company the animals provided, she says that the program afforded her an opportunity to “understand and respect animals.”
This understanding of animals would show up in an immensely impactful way later in life. After being “gently nudged” out of the house nearing her twenties, she landed in a rental house next door to a group of Bay Area college boys who were attending school in Redding. “It never occurred to me that we should move out!” she laughs, “Becky and I had a kennel where we used to breed German Shepards on the property at my parents house so we didn’t really think about leaving.” Nearly 55 years later, she is thrilled to have moved out, because that rental house is where she met her now husband of over 53 years! If the longevity of her marriage doesn’t impress you, then the wedding ought to! She and her twin sister had a double wedding at the court house, and in true twin fashion, they currently live next door to each other in mirror image twin houses that they custom built here in Redding!
Roby spends her days painting in her home which is filled with stunning art, photos of her family, and a treasure-trove of collectables and antiques. Wearing all black with an impeccably coordinated blouse, scarf, and broach, Roby can be found sitting behind her easel, with the sound of a nineteen fifties science fiction movie in the background. A homemaker her entire adult life, she began pondering what life looked like after raising her boys when she became an empty nester. It was then, that she and her husband Rich decided to begin traveling all over California doing arts and crafts shows. Although Roby has never taken an art class in her life, she carried an affinity for the arts ever since her Grandma “Marty” better known to Red Bluff as Marjorie Garrett took her to Churn Creek Bottom as a child to watch her paint the barns. This is the same Grandmother who founded the Red Bluff Art Society in the 40s, and who would.be immensely proud of her granddaughter Roby who now signs all of her artwork with the coveted P.S.A signature (Pastel Society of America), since winning the P.S.A Award for her pastel paintings. This signature also means a great deal to Roby as the requirements for attaining it are that you must submit your lifetime body of work, whom you have studied with, and your schooling before a panel of judges in New York. This makes it that much more amazing that Roby achieved “signature status” her very first time entering, since she has never had any formal training at all! Even with the prestige of the P.S.A Award as a feather in her cap, Roby says one of her biggest accomplishments to date has everything to do with her hometown Redding- more specifically, the Sundial Bridge. Roby was awarded the privilege of rendering the completed bridge as a pastel painting. She says that her work that is focused locally is some of her favorite. This includes the work she has done for the Shasta Bee Keepers Association. You can actually find Roby at most of the local festivals including the famous Palo Cedro HoneyBee Festival. She has close to one hundred and twenty different prints for sale at most shows now, which is a far cry from the four prints she started out with!
Pastel Painting of the Sundial Bridge
Starting with raw talent, and simply looking to fill the time, Roby has unintentionally made waves in the art world. More specifically the Arabian Horse Art World. She is currently on retainer for the worlds foremost Arabian Horse Breeder in Kuwait, and she tells us that we can be on the lookout for her art to be showcased in a global documentary as well. This isn’t the first rodeo for Roby though (pun intended) - Roby was commissioned to paint the famous horse NK Qaswarah “The Smile Maker,” and has also painted five paintings for a Sheik.
With all of her success in the art world, she still maintains that the greatest accomplishments of her life were raising her boys and loving her family. As her daughter in law I can tell you that this is 1000% true.
Roby has passed on her artistic skills to one of her sons, and we are still waiting for it to show up in one of the grandchildren! While she makes it seem easy, she leaves aspiring artists with this sobering truth, “It’s 95% rejection, and 5% success.” Roby says that there are so many fabulous artists out there- so she is appreciative of the success she has had.
To see more of Roby’s artwork, check out her Fine Art Website and her Youtube Page