ARTIST STATEMENT
For a decade I have observed the working waterfront from a small rowboat. As my arms pull the skiff slowly through the water my eyes see a series of paintings in the hard-edged bulk of the ships and barges that confront me; I am dwarfed by their size and awed by the inherent grace of these vessels. The weighty, worn load of massive hulls appears to penetrate deep into the wiggly water where heavily marked surfaces and strong forms are reflected. Over a long period of time only the water survives; what is man-made will disappear. The drawings and oil paintings I make in my studio are inspired by those powerful images which emphasize the inevitable stages of decay.
BIOGRAPHY
Robin’s lifelong interest in making art culminated in 2006 when she turned seriously to oil painting, inspired in particular by the industrial waterfront of her native Seattle. This followed a career in graphic design, all the while casually working in charcoal and water-based media. Now painting full time, Robin has studio space with two dozen professional artists in Building C, a converted 1910-era warehouse near the Ballard Ship Canal, a waterway connecting Puget Sound to Lake Union and Lake Washington. www.BuildingC.com
Regular excursions in her rowboat to explore the many waterways of the Pacific Northwest sharpen her skills of observation, provide an endless series of ideas for paintings, and continue to inspire the development of her work.
EXHIBITIONS
2012
Washington State Convention Center, Seattle WA
TASTE Restaurant at Seattle Art Museum with Dan Hawkins
Gage Academy of Art, Damage Control, with Terry Leness, Seattle WA
2011
Vigor Industial, Industry & Art: The Rivers Run Through Us, Portland OR
BallardWorks, group show, Seattle WA
SAM Gallery, Introductions, Seattle WA
Orange County Center for Contemporary Art, Deep, Santa Ana CA
Art & Soul, New Work, Solo Show, Seattle WA
Zeitgeist Art+Coffee, New Work, Solo Show, Seattle WA
Center for Wooden Boats, Watermark, Solo Show, Seattle WA
Seattle Tacoma Airport, InTransit; Art of the Port of Seattle, Seattle WA
2010
Gage Academy of Art, Alumni Show, Seattle WA
Coos Art Museum, 17th Annual Maritime Art Exhibit, Coos Bay OR
University House, Wings, Wheels and Water, Issaquah WA
University House, Looking In, Out and Through, Seattle WA
Columbia River Maritime Museum, InPort; Art of the Working Waterfront, Astoria OR
2009
Port of Seattle Headquarters, Pier 69, Purposeful Surfaces;
Working Painters Paint the Working Waterfront, Seattle WA
Eastside Association of Fine Arts, 34th Annual Exhibition, Bellevue WA
Commencement Bay Maritime Museum, First Place Award, Tacoma WA
Coos Art Museum, Expressions West, Coos Bay OR
Collective Visions Gallery, Annual State Art Competition, Honorable Mention, Bremerton WA
2008
Eastside Association of Fine Arts, 33rd Annual Exhibition, Kirkland WA
South Seattle Community College, Community Art Exhibit, Seattle WA
Gallery by the Bay, Brushes with the Land, Stanwood WA
Kent City Hall, Summer Art Exhibit, Kent WA
13th Annual Greenwood-Phinney ArtWalk, Seattle WA
Gallery 6311, Artists of Building C, Seattle WA
Gage Academy of Art, Alumni Show, Seattle WA
PUBLICATIONS
Pacific Northwest Magazine
March 27, 2011
OCCCA Exhibition Catalog
June 2011
