Art Comes Home

Rarely, if ever, have I had two solo exhibitions at the same time. This year, both “Delphic Spheres” at The Gallery @ and “Mystic Visions” at the Huntington Library on Main overlapped and it was such an interesting feeling to know that so much of my art was out in the world for everyone to see.

This week both shows come down and the art comes home. It is bittersweet and I remember having a sort of post-partum exhibition blues afterward, which I’m not expecting but am aware might happen. It’s not too heavy, just a knowing that it’s a much better feeling to have my art out in the world being seen than on my own walls in my home or in stacks if I run out of wall space.

The photo above was taken at the Closing Reception on March 19th when my dear friend and drummer Steve and I collaborated for an improvisational rhythm and light experience. I played my wooden flute, aside from my small hang drum and also sang. The best part for me was when we invited everyone to join in and Steve placed different percussion instruments out for everyone to play. I love when people get together and make something fun and beautiful and magical happen. For me, people make all the difference in the world. I do need a lot of time alone, especially these days, but isolation is no good and my truly happiest times are when I’m spending time with friends, or simply - others - whether we’ve just met or not, like when I used to busk up in town over ten years ago and people would respond in the most wonderful ways. We were a surprise to each other, a happy surprise.

My sincerest thanks go out to each and every person who touches my life in a positive way and reminds me of who I am, of what is important to me. My life has held so many struggles but people and my relationships with others have always been the treasure. Some best left buried, LOL…. but the ones who stick around and show you love… those are the keepers!

Mystic Visions Art Exhibition

“The Queen’s Fire” almost didn’t make it into the show, but at the last minute it was clear that it had to be there. So many of my paintings fit the theme of this exhibition, more than were included, but this one is really at the top of the list. She is peaceful. She is powerful. She is a queen.

I’m so thankful to all the friends who attended my Opening Reception last Sunday, March 12th, especially since they had to brave the crowds and blocked off roads for the St. Patrick’s Day Parade to get there. It was so lovely to see everyone. I wasn’t sure I’d be up to talking much but managed to do a talk in the beginning for friends who had to leave early (this first talk is on my YouTube channel) and another shorter talk toward the end when I felt my energy was beginning to fade.

Sometimes I wonder why I push myself so hard. There is never a day when I feel well and as I am still recovering from the strokes, it can be challenging to even get up each morning. But for some reason I always have a ton of ideas in my head… some which are bigger than my present abilities to carry them out, and others which are more manageable. And my cat Gracie and the feral kitties I’m feeding outdoors to keep them going over the winter. My feline family. They all keep me going. And my art. If I have an art opening, friends show up and it’s wonderful to see them and to have that support. Otherwise I spend a lot of time on my own, which I don’t mind and really kind of need as I recover and am sensitive to sounds and motion and the world out there which goes so much faster than I do. But occasionally it feels isolating. There is a balance I haven’t been able to achieve yet.

I love this show. Mystic Visions… the title of it just came to me and that helped me choose the works for the show. It will be up until the 28th of this month.

My other solo show, still up at The Gallery @ on Gibson Avenue in Huntington, will be up until the 26th and there will be a Closing Reception this Sunday, March 19th from 2-5pm during which I’ll be presenting a fun cosmic sound and light experience with a dear and talented friend. It should be fun. I can say I hope I’m up to it but in reality, I never am, but as long as I can get there, usually the day, the event, seeing friends and smiles and camaraderie lifts me up and propels me forward. Onward is the only way to go, as long as I have a beating heart and breath in my body, on I go.

Delphic Spheres - The Opening

I am so happy to have a solo exhibition at The Gallery @ in Huntington, NY. The show will run through March 25th. The Opening Reception was held on Sunday, January 22nd - a year and a day after my first stroke last year. It was delightful to see so many friends come to support my art. It was touching beyond words… the words many said to me. The hugs. The kindness. The support of me and my journey, including who and what I am now.

Some of my friends I hadn’t seen since before covid and some, longer than that. They had followed me on social media where I often share bits of my life and story, especially since the three strokes I had last year. I am definitely changed since then, perhaps forever. With so many pre-existing health issues, it’s more realistic to accept the way I feel while doing what I can to heal and doing my best with each new day. Honestly, I don’t feel much better than I did right after the strokes, so acceptance of where I am right now helps me. Kind of like what my Circle Paintings are all about - acceptance.

When I got to the show - I had a LOT of help, even delivering the work, which I would not have been able to do on my own - I was joyfully surprised at how owners Brittany and Brigitte curated the art. Which paintings they placed next to which other paintings, how the show was hung. WOW.

THIS was the real stunner for me - my triptych from 1996 with the two recent Circle Paintings behind it. Not only was it visually balanced and harmonious (the blues and golds really tie it all together, plus the shapes), but the way the three pieces were placed created a feeling greater than the sum of its parts. It felt sacred to me. This one grouping alone really struck me deeply. And all the other works and how they complemented each other. Brittany and Brigitte really saw my art, looked at each work, and truly honored it by the way they chose to hang the show. I was and still am so immensely grateful. And so grateful to every person who took the time to spend the afternoon with me that day celebrating art and life.

My Art at The Dolphin and a Starry Sky City

This month, April, my art is on display at The Dolphin Bookshop and Cafe in Port Washington, NY. There is a lot of new work in the show, including recently completed oil paintings, smaller watercolor works, and mandalas.

Last summer when I had my art at The Dolphin, it felt like a very different show. Back then I included “Primavera, Baby!”, my colorful Spring Goddess with a flower crown and sunglasses. The current show has work that has more blues in it, although not all. I’ve framed my smaller watercolors, some that are blue and starry, and also the mandalas.

There is a lot of work that I would love to show but no longer have access to, either because it has sold, or is being stored and is not available to me. So, I looked deeply into my closet and stacks of art to find work that hadn’t been seen that I might be able to include. There are a couple that I found that are older, in excellent condition, that had never been seen by anyone but me. Then there is work that was wet on the canvas two days before it was hung on the wall.

At this point in my career, I think of almost every solo exhibition as a retrospective of sorts. Of course it would be a dream to have a big studio space with lots of light where I could work as large as I liked, do completely new art for each show and have a place to keep the ones that don’t sell when the show is over. Isn’t this what every artist dreams? Ah… well, it’s my dream. One day, perhaps I will have that space. So much wants to be born from me… colors, images, shapes, and that blending thing I do when my brush has been loaded with different colors and some of each color remains trapped in the brush in layers until I press it onto the surface of a canvas. Then I blend, blend, blend and things come out… shadows and colors that have no name. I make it smooth, too. That’s just always been what I have preferred. It would be wonderful to be creating new art regularly, but that is not an option partially because of lack of space. So I show work from all periods of my life, and each exhibition is a glimpse of many years of my devotion to my art.

Hanging shows was always easy for me until recently, because of my health. I’ll get through this, my doctor says (and I believe him), but I knew I needed help and put the call out. My long-time friend and fellow artist Mike Stanko offered to help and was a HUGE help!!! I would have had great difficulty on my own and would have probably been there all day figuring out how to manage. A HUGE THANK YOU to my friend Mike!

Whenever I hang a show I bring more work than I need. I think this is probably the case with most artists. We can make a rough estimate as to how many paintings will fit in a space, but how they look side-by-side and how cohesive it is, is another thing. One of the paintings I hoped to show was the one I’m holding in this photo. It’s called “Night City”, and it’s a very deep, luscious dark blue painting with a floating city in a starry sky. This painting inspired me to write a children’s story years ago. I won’t give the story away, but basically it’s about having a safe place, wherever you are, where you can be who you are, have peace and quiet or run in the halls like a sillyhead, where no-one will tell you that you’re wrong for being who you are. It’s a good story, I think, and one that would be helpful for kids to read. Unfortunately, I didn’t include this painting in the show because it just didn’t work somehow with the rest of them. Years ago, I included it in another solo exhibition and a little girl of about ten years of age came up to me and said it was her favorite. That touched my heart, especially because of her age, and I wasn’t aware that anyone had actually seen it. She really saw it.

Peace,

Robyn

The Dolphin Show - Art & Music

At the Opening Reception at The Dolphin Bookshop in July, 2018, I asked Jimi if he would be interested in playing music at the opening. Here's a video I took of him playing and then I panned around the room to show some of my work. I included newer paintings as well as some that were over thirty years old. In a way, it was a little retrospective exhibition. I liked having my work there. Thanks to Robin for the show.