Robin Robinson

Robin's Bio & Statement

Exhibitions CV

Robin's Bio & Statement

Exhibitions CV

Vanessa Snyder

The subjects of my work are as varied as the things that intrigue me. Science calls my name, and I am drawn to historical imagery. I pivot from subject to subject the same way I listen to music-variety!

I’m happy to report that I continue to learn and change and hopefully evolve, so my subjects continue to vary. Fortunately, I have been able to travel the world, and study at the University of Toledo, Ohio (BA, MA) and SCAD Atlanta.

My past careers included exhibit design, artist management, and marketing collateral design as the Creative Director of non-profit educational institutions (The Toledo Zoo and The Toledo Science Center, both in Ohio) I learned to love interpretation; i.e. looking at one thing, and translating, condensing, or expanding it into another medium. Teaching visually. My aesthetic sensibilities to color are always front and center, so painting is my favorite medium, but language will always be a delicious distraction as well. Titles on the work are either clues, or synopses- analogy never disappoints.

Global landscapes, botany and zoology, psychology and physiology, microscopic explorations, and invisible subjects all contain the magic I believe is necessary to make art… my umwelten changes over time with age … So large a universe, so little time.

Welcome

What we find compelling enough to nudge us to draw or paint, generally, begins with some kind of backstory. Collaborating is exciting for us as artists because our lives intersect and digress in many ways that we find intriguing. We have chosen three subjects to challenge ourselves and each other:

Defining Moments

Wide open to interpretation; these are pivotal experiences that are part of our growth and evolution; These imply CHANGE. They are what INSPIRES us, what we’ve learned; things we each may find extraordinarily beautiful, encounters with spectacular natural resources, or possibly key emotional experiences. Not to imply that the process doesn’t include reseach occasionally, but when a seed of an idea is planted, we determine how best to address it. Sometimes it flows and sometimes it halts and restarts. If ever there is a time to consider MAGIC as part of the creative equation, this may be it.

Not far from Reykjavik by Vanessa Snyder

Connections

These are relationships we form, with family and friends, animals possibly, and the emotions we experience along those paths. Connections is broad enough to include relationships of any kind, emotional, spiritual, physical. It could manifest itself in portraits. It addresses what often separates abstract work from representational…think of drawing a recognizable boat on a lake (representational) vs drawing the smells and sounds from childhood summer picnics (abstract).

Passions

What calls out to us–and very similar to Defining moments, but with longevity. With decades behind us, we have developed and prioritized subjects that matter to us, perhaps as symbols of our values. All things-science, pleasant experiences and wake-up calls. Invisible sometimes. We all, each of us, artist or not, should compile a list of things we love! It becomes easy to instinctively reach into the list and shake up our tool boxes –painting with oil or acrylic or watercolor–or mixing media, providing us with the novelty required for repeat visits to our favorites subjects. Nature, Science, beauty, accomplishment. Raising children–(who have a funny way of showing up in all categories!) All expansive enough to allow us to produce things more specific.