Sarah Rakes first became interested in art when she was only nine years old, when a traveling museum show came through her small Arkansas town. She was a normal teen, a bit lonely, and frequently turned to creating art as an escape from her day. Sarah actually left art behind when she left home at the age of twenty and began working a series of waitressing jobs. Soon she met Mike, who would eventually become her husband. She then raised their three children and didn't get back to her art until 1986.
 

Sadly, Sarah's beloved husband, Mike Esslinger, passed away in 2016. After a year hiatus, Sarah has returned to painting her electric flowers and animals.

Sarah Rakes now resides in Georgia. Her vibrant paintings are a testament to her rural experience and passion for nature; pots of flowers undulate with color, and fields of ripe pumpkins glisten under the blazing sun. The intensity of her creations is further enhanced by the exhilarating painted frames she places them in.