Kirsten Sadlier and her husband, Christian, were living in Newport Beach, California a few years ago when they decided to look for a new place to settle with their kids. They wanted to raise their young sons, Grant and Pierce, in a place where they could fully embrace a healthy, active, outdoor-centric lifestyle. They found exactly what they were looking for in Jupiter.
“Christian and I were looking for a place where we could put down some roots, have the best quality of life, and wake up every day feeling grateful and happy,” says Sadlier. “We had visited [Jupiter] many times and realized it checked all the boxes for us.”
They made the move in May 2023, and Sadlier, a professional artist, got to work setting up her home studio, where she paints the whimsical surfboards she is best known for, among other art pieces. As a young child growing up in the quaint hamlet of Miller Place on the north shore of New York’s Long Island, Sadlier says she first discovered art as a way to deal with her ADHD, which she wasn’t even aware she had at the time. “My childhood was a constant struggle,” she says, recalling that she grappled with excessive restlessness and a low attention span. She discovered she had an innate talent for drawing, an outlet that would provide a lasting and positive effect on her mental well-being. “It was difficult for me to focus and listen in class, but when I sketched and doodled during lessons, it helped me relax and absorb information more easily,” she says.
Sadlier’s parents nurtured her passion for art (her father was in the art world too), and in high school, she shifted her focus to painting. One of her early works back then—a still life of designer shoes titled Burberry—won first place at a local young artists’ exhibition, and she went on to compete in a national high school visual arts competition sponsored by the Congressional Institute. Despite the accolades and art scholarships she received, self-doubt about becoming a successful artist led her to pursue a bachelor’s degree in advertising and marketing instead at the Fashion Institute of Technology. After graduating in 2009, she worked in sales for Red Bull and helped Voss raise money for its clean water projects in Sub-Saharan Africa.
In 2011, she met her future husband at a house party in the Hamptons. While their connection was instant, it wasn’t until they saw each other working out at Equinox fitness club in Manhattan two years later that their relationship blossomed. “We’d meet every day at the gym, have a great workout, and go somewhere healthy to eat,” she says of the early days of dating Christian. “Wellness always made us feel good, and that’s kind of how we landed.”
The couple welcomed their first child, Grant, in 2015 and tied the knot soon after. Embracing parenthood and a life of relaxed wellness, they settled in the Hamptons, where they spent weekends sailing, running, and basking in the sunshine at the beach. When Grant was hospitalized for three weeks with meningitis, Sadlier decided to take a pause from work to devote herself to caring for him.
In 2017, Sadlier was pregnant with her and Christian’s second child, Pierce, and the growing family moved to Seattle for Christian’s work. Shortly after giving birth to Pierce, Sadlier felt compelled to pick up her paintbrushes again. “There was so much love and gratitude inside me—for my husband and our boys—and I wanted to create something that conveyed the emotions I felt,” she says of the abstract paintings she gifted to friends and interior designers.
Over the next few years, the family moved around the West Coast, each new home influencing Sadlier’s art in different ways. When the COVID pandemic hit, the family retreated to Palm Springs for fresh air and long hikes in the desert. The stunning surroundings inspired Sadlier, and she began sketching and painting beautiful mountains, palm trees, and other local imagery. The following summer, they headed to Newport Beach to soak up the ocean’s revitalizing effects and explore new activities like surfing. There, Sadlier embraced an art form known as “found objects” (objet trouvé in French), which is the process of transforming discarded materials into captivating works of art. It was then that she began taking old and unwanted surfboards and turning them into vibrant abstract wall pieces. She would post her creations to Instagram, which led to her selling pieces to local designers she connected with, among others. Soon, word spread about her art, and she began getting commissions from people in places like Connecticut and Texas, where good surfing conditions are tougher to come by.
While the Sadliers loved the vibe of Newport Beach (and continue to visit every summer), the active family yearned for a home with perennial access to outdoor activities and other healthful pursuits. That’s when they landed in Jupiter. “We really wanted to live this rounded-out lifestyle where we could be outside all year, have access to great schools, and raise the boys in a community where they can grow up with the same kids,” Sadlier says. “We’re thankful we found it all in one place.”
The couple quickly set about turning their new space into their dream home—which meant not only creating an art studio for Sadlier but also making their home a sort of wellness retreat with amenities like a workout room, a Pilates studio, red light therapy, and a cold plunge. “As someone with ADHD, moving my body is crucial for focusing my thoughts and remaining present,” Sadlier says. “There’s also an outdoor sauna that helps with heart health, which is very important, and whenever Christian or I have a hard day, we’ll jump into the cold plunge pool for a mental reset.”
With her family settled in Jupiter, Sadlier was eager to establish connections in the area’s interior design community to increase her visibility as an artist and find commission opportunities. She says Nicole Hurd of Hurd Homes was not only her first client, but she also became her mentor. “She would suggest other designers to follow up with and brought me in on a project she was working on,” says Sadlier. Their collaboration on several projects culminated in a favorite commission: three vertically mounted surfboards, each painted in a cohesive color palette with a limewash stucco finish.
Sadlier’s surfboard art has since caught the attention of some of the world’s most iconic brands across fashion, food, and lifestyle. Last fall, she was invited by Travis Matthew to create a custom surfboard live at the grand opening of their Long Beach store. At the Kendra Scott launch event for the Yellow Rose collection in San Diego, she brought a coastal cowboy theme to life on a custom surfboard. Nespresso also tapped her to craft a stunning abstract design, now proudly displayed at their Newport Beach location. Her most recent commission? A set of surfboards for Jo Malone’s launch of the Beach Blossom fragrance. “They threw events at several stunning venues, including a warehouse in Chelsea that was transformed into an epic beach party,” says Sadlier. “It was pure magic.”
In her latest venture, Sadlier has partnered with Chelsea Viau of Chelsea Lane & Co. to create an exclusive wallpaper collection that, at press time, was set to launch in May. The collection features two striking designs: one inspired by organic stone and marble elements Sadlier painted, deconstructed, and then pieced together into one provocative pattern;
the other a playful design depicting alligators, oranges, bicycles, backgammon sets, and other fun South Florida–inspired motifs offered in a trio of colors. She also designed a custom sketch wallpaper and matching coffee sleeves for The Seed in Jupiter, providing a fresh take on her signature abstract style.
Despite her busy schedule, Sadlier still manages to make time for other passions, including volunteering and fundraising for local charities like Quantum House and Best Buddies. She also spends time focusing on a special project she launched years ago while living on the West Coast—The Darling Collection. While preparing for a gallery installation in Seattle in 2019/2020, Sadlier had an epiphany: “I thought, people will always buy art, so how incredible would it be if it was fine art created by their children?” she recalls. So she started The Darling Collection, an art-focused program for children and their families she hosts in her home studio. Children are provided with materials (canvases, paint, brushes) to create large-scale works—not “kid art,” but fine art masterpieces that their families want to display in their homes. Sadlier has continued with The Darling Collection at her Jupiter home, hosting two to four families a month. “I’m always humbled when parents tell me how happy the experience makes their kids feel,” she says. “It’s very meaningful giving children the opportunity to feel good about being creators.”
Above all else, Sadlier’s greatest joy is the time she gets to spend with her husband and two sons—outdoors in the fresh, healthy air. “I love the weekends because we enjoy taking family walks in the nature preserve across the street with our miniature schnauzer, Russell, and playing tennis in the afternoon,” she says. “We belong to the boat club, so we like to get out on the water, and at sunset, we’ll hit the beach and throw a Frisbee. Sometimes Christian will get on his DJ turntable, and we’ll dance to music around the house and pool.”
Sadlier and her family may have moved around a lot before arriving in Jupiter, but she says they are here to stay: “Living here has been such an uplifting experience. The community is so supportive, and even though I’m the new kid in town, I’ve never felt more welcome. I’m so grateful for that.”
To learn more about Sadlier and her art, visit kirstensadlierart.com or follow her on Instagram. To inquire about participating in The Darling Collection (and how to join the wait-list), email tdc@kirstensadlierart.com.
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