Canberra and part time Tomakin resident Robyn Green is the “Featured Artist” at The Gallery in Mogo until November 13.
As a member of The Gallery, Robyn says ”The Gallery in Mogo is a wonderful outlet for many local artists and craftspeople”.
Robyn stays at Tomakin with husband Bruce when she heads east and she finds inspiration for her art while walking along the nearby beaches taking photographs, collecting shells and other interesting pieces. Her paintings reflect the pleasure that she gets in her coastal experiences. Seaside colours dominate, blues, whites and aqua, with a touch of metallic copper, swirl toward the centre of a vortex in her painting “Whirlpool”. Surf breaks, surges and foams on sand in her other featured paintings.
Originally painting in oils, Robyn is now exploring a fresh and new direction with resin and acrylics. The jewel like colours of her abstract painting “Golden Light” best exemplifies the glossy, glass-like finish achievable with resin when handled by a committed practitioner.
Robyn, says that moving toward abstraction “frees up” her painting.
Robyn trained to become an art teacher, but the Air Force transferred her new (very new – one week into marriage) husband to PNG. Many further postings followed, including California and Washington DC. She embraced the changes and says, “I really do believe life is what you make of it!”
Art took a back seat while family and three children took priority. She found opportunities to paint and work intermittently, and in she sold a number of paintings in the the nineties in Melbourne's prestigious High St Armidale.
Robyn has always managed to maintain her interest in textile arts, such as cross stitch and embroidery and became very involved in quilting during the Californian posting, leading to a long association with the Canberra Quilters.
In 2013 Robyn finally retired and she took up painting again on the suggestion of her eldest son. She says, “I got back into painting and I can't stop. I love it to bits!”
“This IS retirement – we've had our families, followed our husbands and their careers, it's now our time to do our own thing and follow our dreams.”
Robyn's work can be seen at “The Gallery” in Mogo and as “Featured Artist” until November 13.
The Gallery is a co-operative venture of CABBI, an association open to local arts and crafts practitioners. People interested in finding out more about CABBI should drop in to The Gallery or phone 02 4474 2243.
