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With her husband speaking enough French and Italian to communicate effectively, she traveled through Europe and the United States always with camera in hand as she began to create photo archives that included: Paris, Provence, Italy, Manhattan, Philadelphia, Portland, Sonoma Valley, Oceanside and more. She also kept sketching journals as she traveled using the time on trains, boats, planes, restaurants and elsewhere to capture where they had been. She started drawing faces in the summer of 1998 when she discovered she had an ability to capture more than just a likeness. Looking at her work, people would describe it as “capturing the essence” - the soul, if you will, of the subject. She began the discipline of drawing everyday. She took artist’s anatomy classes and began drawing from live models on a regular basis working on her figure skills. At this point, she worked primarily in pencil, charcoal and colored pencil. Then in summer of 2000, she began painting portraits in oil by studying with a world renowned Russian master portrait artist and professor at the New York Art Students League, Leonid Gervits. He became a mentor, and she made a number of trips to New York City to study with him. She rented a studio with friend and fellow artist, David Friedman, and began the process of working as a full time artist. Soon the shared studio became too small for both artists, and they moved upstairs and rented studios next door to one another. Robin is a member in good standing of the American Society of Portrait Artists and the Portrait Society of America. In addition to her portrait work, Robin learned the art of the Polaroid transfer. Using her photo archives, she has created what Leonid Gervits calls a “tasty” collection of images that she has sold extensively. Unlike most artists who tend to concentrate in just one area, Robin likes the variety and challenge of moving between mediums and modes of expression. While some artists see painting and photography as mutually exclusive, Robin believes her skills in both areas compliment one another and actually work to give her an edge both creatively and in the marketplace. In 2001 Robin was able to create a unique opportunity working with two of the builders for the Portland Street of Dreams. She worked with the interior designers of two of the homes and placed over 60 of her pieces as part of the interior design. Over 90,000 people toured the houses, which created better exposure than any gallery. In addition to the placement of work, she was able to work with the designer from Blazer Development to design a working artist’s studio in the house. During the run of the show, Robin worked in the studio as the “artist in residence” where she met thousands of people and was able to create a backlog of work that stretches well into the future. With the success of the 2001 Street of Dreams, Robin will again be working as the “artist in residence” with Blazer Development for the 2002 Portland Street of Dreams and more than 50 pieces of her work will hang in the 2 Blazer Development homes. |