Apr 21 2011
Just started this painting a couple nights ago, and it’s progressing quickly, but not quite finished. The color scheme wasn’t entirely deliberate, as it was determined primarily by the fact that I had a panel in my studio that was pre-primed in yellow ochre. As it developed, I decided to elaborate on the yellows, contrasting [...]
Oct 05 2010
Alas, I have been neglecting my blog for far too long, and a good number of things have come to pass or are currently emerging… to the extent that I’ve been more than a little overwhelmed and have little time to write about it. To prevent myself from further procrastination, I’ll start with an outline [...]
Apr 25 2010
It’s been most of a month since my move, but the physical requirements of making it all happen put my body in such a state of exhaustion that it’s taken me this long to get back on track. First of all, I am not one who can live out of boxes for any amount of [...]
Mar 12 2010
It’s been a while since I’ve created any updates… not because I don’t have anything going on, mind you. More likely, I have TOO much going on, and not enough time to write about it. First of all, I finally decided I’d had enough of trying to get anything done in my dreary basement studio, [...]
Aug 28 2009
Months have led up to a recent “breakthrough painting” that I feel really proud of sharing with everyone. I feel like a lot of synchronistic events led up to the birthing of this one. A recent impulse led to taking a solo trip to the Oregon coast. As soon as I began walking the path [...]
Dec 09 2008
I’ve been craving a bit of solitude lately. Speaking of this need to a friend, she offered me her place for the weekend, while she was out of town. After sharing houses for years, this small break was like heaven for me. I decided to make it into my own little creative/spiritual retreat. The focus [...]
Nov 09 2008
Early in my art career I had a resistance to the still-life genre, perhaps because my college professors created pretty boring set-ups of mangled mannequins, bicycle wheels, broken chairs and all sorts of uninspiring material. I’ve always been more inspired by working from my imagination or a symbolic narrative. However, since I’ve started teaching art, [...]
Nov 03 2008
For some time, I have been interested in ideas related to mixing abstract elements of pattern with more realistic interpretations of subjects. Perhaps the most famous artist to be successful at this idea is Gustav Klimt. Almost any appreciator of art will be familiar with his iconic painting, “The Kiss”. For a more contemporary inspiration, [...]
Oct 31 2008
I recently finished a new painting, which I’ve decided to title “Cerulean Song”. Cerulean is the variety of blue that dominates the piece, and since it was created specifically for a “blue themed” show, it seems appropriate to give some reference to that. It also seemed significant for music or sound to be a part [...]
May 02 2008
I’ve finally completed painting this belly-cast that was given to me by a woman who is the founder of the Alma Midwifery Center. Actually, it was lent to me, with the purpose of having me paint it for an upcoming event, which will display the artistic transformations of 12 Portland artists. The cast was very [...]
Nov 28 2007
It’s been a busy, busy week. I needed to complete some of my current paintings for a new one-person show that I hung last night. I also was just accepted to be a member at an artist’s cooperative gallery, so I’m hanging there tonight. In addition, I already had a show up at another place [...]
I'm Robin Urton, an artist based in Portland, Oregon... who paints surreal images, often incorporating images of women, birds and the natural world. I also teach art to adult students. I’m creating this blog as a means of externalizing my thoughts regarding the creative process, and documenting some of the life experiences that feed my work. It’s also a way to reach out to other creative people, as a means of establishing a dialogue.
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