I want to thank everyone who was able to attend Centerfest in Durham this past weekend-it was a great success! The weather was wonderful both days, and I couldn't have asked for a better experience for my first time at an outdoor festival. Thanks so much to all of you-without you, it would not be possible for me to do the thing I love- creating art full-time! I've posted several photos of my booth-Enjoy!
With only a week to go until Centerfest, I thought I post a little sneak peek of some of the work that I’m doing. This is only a small portion mind you, I estimate there will be around 35-40 mixed media pieces/paintings on panels and canvas, and hopefully around 50 pieces of jewelry. I also plan on having some prints available, and some other small matted works. Right now it looks as though the weather will be sunny and in the lower 80s-just about perfect- see you there!
I have had a number of requests by people wanting to find out more about my art, so I've decided to share a little more about some of the pieces I have created, and what they mean to me.
The first piece I'd like to talk about is called, "The Jester." It is a digital collage which was created in early 2006. When I first began collecting vintage and antique photographs, I was never quite sure exactly what I was looking for, and yet I would always be captivated by the amazing blank stares that you would sometimes see in old images. I know now that the blank looks were often as result of having to sit for very long poses that sometimes lasted several minutes. At an antique festival in Hillsville, Va, I remember finding this quarter-plate ambrotype of an older gentleman with an amazing stare, and what really struck me was the look of defiance in his eyes. Its almost as if he knows death is approaching soon, and he refuses to go quietly. I've given him a paper which is reference to his pseudo kingship-the fact that he truly has no control over his fate, just as we all have no control over ours, and yet we can go day-to-day through life sometimes never noticing the beauty in our mortality. The text of this piece reads, "remembering that which was", and the words are placed in front of an empty tree in winter. Through the text and image placement I'm also commenting on that fact that even the memories we have are not permanent, and they too slowly fade with time. The piece is titled, "The Jester" because it is talking about how humans have an amazing ability to deny their own mortality, and how we go to many lengths to fool ourselves into feeling immortal instead on appreciating and enjoying the beauty in any given moment in our brief lives.
To find out more about this piece or to purchase click the image below:
One of my favorite media to work with is light. I find it amazing the power such a simple element can carry. The installation below is a show that I did in Raleigh, NC at ARTSPACE in 2005. To give you an idea of scale, the room is about 40' x 40' with 25' ceilings. The ceiling itself extends far above the pipes which are visible. All the pieces in the room are wired together to show how each of us are connected to others, and to our past. I am a strong believer that our lives are more than mere accident. Enjoy.
Zeppelin 2007 20" x 20"
Digital Pigment Print and Mixed Media on Panel
Copyright 2007 Mikel Robinson. All Rights Reserved
I spent the day hunting some new photographs for my collection, and even after collecting for almost 20 years, I am amazed at all I haven't seen. This was the best of what I found today. It's a great image on glass of a horse-driven buggy. I would have loved to have been there when this gentleman came riding by. Simpler times...
So last night my wife and I were watching the documentary, "Searching for the Wrong-Eyed Jesus", and I commented to her about wanting to return to being a "southern artist." She replied, "Sweetheart, you are a southern artist and always have been." That got me to thinking a bit...How important is it that where I'm from shows through in my art, and how does my being born and raised in the South affect the art I create? I realized that the answer to the first question wasn't nearly as important as the answer to the second; but the answers to both say a lot about who I am as a person, and as an artist. I've always known that I couldn't separate the spiritual element from the physical element in my work, but I haven't always understood why. I just knew that what I felt was alive-that it was real, and that everything I do in life centers around the line that blurred for me long before I was born. What I feel runs deep, I just never understood quite how deep until now. Enjoy.
Sanctum Series 2007 (Installation View 2)
So it begins...Everyone says you need a blog, so here is mine. I've never been much of one for keeping a daily diary, but we'll give this a try and see how it goes. At the very least, it will be a great way to keep everyone up to date with all that is going on with my art. Until I can get started with that, here's a link to my website: www.mikelrobinson.com, and I've uploaded a photo of some recently completed pieces for your viewing pleasure. Enjoy.
Sanctum Series 2007 (Installation View)
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