Meet The Artist, Robin Ann Walker

Robin Ann Walker
In a Florida orange grove
December 2005

what? you were expecting a formal portrait?

"My paintings are narratives, even when the story isn't evident. A history of assigning importance and meaning to bits of color and texture, light and shadow, fill each image with underlying meaning. Symbols discovered in ancient lands are resurrected and combined with technology to produce something fresh that is anchored in the past."

"The one common element in all of my work is that each begins with a prayer acknowledging God's presence in my art. I start each clean piece of paper or canvas with a written affirmation of my spiritual commitment. The paint goes on after that."

Official Bio

See the Studio

I am driven by the desire to say everything at once. Thus, I produce distinctly different styles that seem to have no relation to each other at all. They are all a part of me, having been created by my mind and hands.

I work in acrylics, having no patience for waiting for paint to dry. I often will include my original photography in a painting, sometimes digital, sometimes collage. I am an experimental artist, using ordinary materials in new ways. I am in love with my camera, and am developing paintings which are conversations between technology and tradition.

I rarely plan a painting. I prefer, instead, to paint unedited. I work in series, often creating 20 or more paintings in a given style before moving to something else. The paintings shown here are representative of the styles I still produce. Images change often, as a new painting begs to be given the light. I no longer show paintings which don't represent the direction my art is taking.

I moved to Dallas in 1989 from Bangkok Thailand where I was an American living abroad for 2 years. I owned and ran a factory producing beveled glass panels. I had never lived in Dallas before, but my international plane ticket ended here, and I had a friend to stay with for awhile, so I just stayed. I live in a very middle class neighborhood with a landscaped yard, something I learned to cherish when I lived in Bangkok.

My studio used to be the sunroom, which makes it perfect to work in. Lots of windows, and I have added skylights and color-perfect lighting.

I spend most of the year in Dallas, and the rest traveling the world. I go to Santa Fe often, where I housesit for friends. I apply for one residency program a year, so that I know I will have a block of time away from the distractions of home to produce a new body of work.

I am a full time artist. I constantly examine the colors and shapes around me, I see brush strokes when I close my eyes. Artwork has been my sole means of support since January 1998, and I have never been happier. It's the best job in the world.

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Read the official bio here.