THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, June 5, 1994 TAG: 9406020196
SECTION: CAROLINA COAST PAGE: 24 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: Nancy McWilliams
DATELINE: 940605 LENGTH: Medium
Robinson's extraordinary watercolors are featured in an exhibit called ``Homage to the Outer Banks,'' at the Greenleaf in Nags Head through July 14.
{REST} Tupper, who searches through 40 portfolios a month looking for artistic excellence, is delighted to find such talent in a ``homeboy.'' Robinson has spent summers at Southern Shores for 10 years, working in local restaurants.
``He is one of the people we really feel strongly about,'' Tupper commented. ``We want to showcase his work because he is really talented.''
Robinson, 35, was born and raised in West Virginia. As a teen he moved to Lynchburg, Va., where he studied art at several colleges. Since third grade, Robinson has felt the pull of art. ``I was the kid who did all the bulletin boards,'' he recalled. His artistic talent ``just sort of developed,'' he said, but he has maintained other interests, such as carpentry and cooking.
``The creative process intrigues me,'' he said, ``the impromptu act of painting, challenging myself, the discovery of what happens when I do this or that. I have an obligation to present my particular point of view as it relates to contemporary life.''
Currently living in Greenville, Robinson said his time on the Outer Banks near the Atlantic Ocean has affected his work positively because of the sea's tranquil and meditative aspects. ``It's right down my alley as far as a contemplative way of life.
``There is an element of serendipity in my work,'' Robinson said. ``I captivate a lot of things that happen that are random. They are happy accidents.''
The 24 highly detailed, slightly nostalgic paintings are recent works of Robinson's; more will be added as the show progresses.
Robinson's seaside strolls constantly result in accumulations of shells and driftwood. ``It's kind of cliche,'' Robinson said of his finds, but he takes the ordinary and turns it into the unexpected, as in his delightful painting of a bright red chili pepper lodged in a flip-flop at the beach. ``He takes things and puts them in a slightly different context,'' Tupper said. ``There is almost a surreal effect, the way he puts things together in composition.''
One painting has mermaids' purses (the small black pouches which wash on shore) against a background of a paint pan. Another is an intriguing, beautifully colored look at scuppernongs. Others feature a banana perched on an Asian-print potholder, a sea horse, a salamander, a close study of Korean dogwood berries.
While Robinson seems at home with watercolor, he also loves oil and printmaking. ``It's just that I've gotten proficient at watercolor.'' He likes the medium because of its quick drying capacity, and wants to move toward oils eventually. His use of wide, white margins around his paintings is a carryover from printmaking, Robinson explained. The effect is dramatic, drawing the eye to the work.
He's inspired by life's everyday aspects. ``I am pretty much of a naturalist,'' he said, explaining that he hikes daily, and is strongly influenced by nature in his subject matter. ``I can't seem to walk down the road without picking up debris I might want to paint.'' Faces sometimes appear in his nature studies, especially in depictions of driftwood. ``I try to present the natural world anew in a tangible format . . . to reveal the creativity at hand every day, which I feel is often taken for granted. I'm somewhat of a zealot on this point.''
A crab painting is placed on a background of handwritten ``stream of consciousness ramblings about crabs'' turned sidways in the frame for an interesting twist.
A series of 20 birdhouse paintings is in the works now, with a couple in this show. The backyards of Luray, Va., inspired these nostalgic scenes.
One particularly sweet painting which veers away from the naturalist theme was inspired by candy valentines Robinson spotted in a convenience store.
Color and light are crucial to Robinson, who professes to love golden afternoon sunlight. ``It's almost candy colored,'' he said. ``It's really fun to paint.'' Shadows also challenge and inspire Robinson.
His use of color results in pleasing, happy paintings that capture the ordinary in a truly outstanding way.
``I see painting as visual thought,'' Robinson said, ``as a catalyst for contemplating, interpreting and understanding our existence. I live life through art and vice versa.''
by CNB