Artist Feature - Renee Robbins

Renee Robbins works full-time as visual artist in her Chicago studio. Her work draws inspiration from natural phenomena, science, and micro to macro relationships. Our life experience is layered with complex systems that reach through tiny cells, flowering vegetation, and distant galaxies. Robbins searches for ways to mix, blend, and juxtapose these systems to create a web of hybrid forms. Her work focuses attention on fleeting moments and small details within the complex systems that shape our human experience. At core of this exploration is a fascination with the familiar and unfamiliar. The abundance of sensory information in the paintings is like the external environment we often find ourselves in. One could consider how our varied surroundings shape our human experience and range from the micro to the macro. The color, scale, and material of our surroundings continually changes and affects our sense of self. Many things coalesce to create a sense of self and can often disperse when systems enter the unknown. It is her intent that these works converge on the gigantic range both in and out of our human experience.

Robbins’ painting process is similar to scientific method as there are parallels in the method of inquiry. The journey to create each painting tests different methods, forms, and color combinations. The outcome is not always apparent at the start of a new painting or experiment. Like the discovery of a new species, Robbins sees each painting a site of discovery that can lead to unchartered territory. It is important that the paintings pose more questions than solutions as that keeps the studio environment exciting and fosters artistic growth. The work is created through observing, layering, testing, and inventing during the painting process. The abstract works are very detailed, vividly colored, and complex while retaining notions of recognizable forms. Robbins may blend a molecular pattern with a structure of a plant and combine that within a star constellation. Everyone has a unique visual history and that plays into seeing the work. Part of the gratification of being an artist is not knowing exactly where the process will lead.

Copyright © 2010-2013 Renee Robbins. All rights reserved. All works of art are protected under U.S. copyright laws. No portion of the artist’s works or statements may be used, downloaded, or reproduced using any means without prior written permission from the artist.