Robin Venable

Working in an art gallery can be a great experience. Being surrounded by creativity is always a fun thing, and luckily I get to do this 5 days a week. Having amazing co-workers makes the day even better, and Robin Venable is one of the best co-workers I have ever had. We make each other laugh constantly, we entertain each other with stories, we get in the most ridiculous fights ever only to make-up again in 5 minutes...but even that keeps the day interesting. Not only is Robin a fantastic co-worker, she is also a great friend...and did I mention that she is also an amazing artist? Well, she is.

Robin came to the gallery a year ago having just received her MFA from Florida State University. Her work is beautiful and unique. She works on round canvases instead of the traditional rectangluar ones. She doesn't like the feeling of being "trapped in a box" with a rectangular canvas, and prefers the movement the circular base gives her work. Robin loves medieval manuscripts, transparency, religious icons and ornate designs. She is also heavily influenced by her spirituality and draws on those things, and more, to create her layered paintings. Her work attempts to make sense of life's complexity...a battle of light and dark. Her latest paintings are a reflection of her own struggles, and serve as very elaborate self-portraits. She paints herself into each painting surrounded by light, dark, pattern, shadows, animals, colors, etc. These are the most interesting to me and I look forward to seeing what new paintings will emerge in the months and years to come.

More of Robin's work can be found on her website. Take a look for more images and info. For now, Robin and I have to get back to work.