From Hangout to Hype Reel

In 2019, I commissioned an artist introduction video to promote my friend Carson and his artwork.

Backstory

I first met Carson Roberts in the summer of 2019 at a pop-up event in northeast Portland. We talked for a while, exchanged Instagram accounts, and went our separate ways. A few months later—after I had moved into my apartment in Lake Oswego—I reached back out. I was looking for artwork to hang on my walls and remembered that Carson had been selling original paintings. As I scrolled through his Instagram, one piece immediately stopped me: Street Saint—a burning figure soaring through the sky. I sent him a message asking if I could see it in person.

Walking into Carson’s apartment felt like stepping into a working artist’s studio. Bedsheets covered the floor. Massive canvases leaned against nearly every wall. The space wasn’t decorated with art—it was consumed by it. Before showing me the painting, he casually offered me a seat in a wheelchair he used as a chair. When I asked about it, he laughed and said he had found it on the street and thought it would make a good seat. That moment said a lot about how he saw the world.

Then he showed me Street Saint. The painting was larger than I expected—44 by 44 inches—and unlike anything I had seen before. It was created using acrylic, spray paint, and pastel on repurposed reflective roll-up vinyl. Carson talked about scavenging discarded construction materials late at night because he couldn’t justify buying expensive canvases when usable materials were being thrown away. What stood out wasn’t just the piece itself, but the intensity behind it. Every part of his environment seemed tied to creating. One detail stuck with me: after finishing each painting, he writes down exactly how he felt while making it on the back of the canvas. The work captures both the image and the emotion behind it.

I bought Street Saint that day, and Carson later donated one-third of the proceeds to the National Police Accountability Project. Years later, I realized there was another story worth telling—not just about the painting I bought, but about the artist behind it. That’s what led me to commission the short video. My goal wasn’t to create an advertisement, but to capture a glimpse of Carson’s creative process and share his work with people who appreciate artists fully committed to their craft.

If his work resonates with you, I encourage you to explore more of his portfolio.