My Yin-Yang paintings and artist statement

These are two paintings that I did at OCAD in the summer of 2004. It feels very relevant for me to post these today.. it being the 13th of the 1st month of the year and me just deciding that I would like to start painting again. Anyone who knows me well knows my schedule is totally crazy these days.. However, I just got asked what I am going to do in 2007. ..and I had to think about it.. which I have been doing this past week. I have come up with a few things>> world peace, meditation, learning some spanish and painting.. these are a few. My plan is to paint flowers on monday afternoons.. and when I get 13 maybe I will post them here. ; )

This is the artist statement that went with the paintings, from the same class.. it was a really great, thought provoking class. Here's to a really great thought provoking year!

Artist Statement – Robin R. Robinson

“Whenever you breathe out, I breathe in – Yin/Yang” is a dual self-portrait which portrays me both figuratively, seated on a pillar in a gallery, and psychologically, with the paintings around me representing windows to my soul. These paintings are full of images, originating from dreams, my imagination and the mythologies of various religions and cultures, which all seem to hold similar stories. Many of the ideas represented here come from my study of tarot cards, for instance I used association and comparison to develop many of these sources to reveal their esoteric meanings. Books I have recently read on astrology, creative visualization, symbolism and native North American spiritual wisdom inspired a deep investigation of my personal symbols and archetypes. My 9 personal totem animals are represented as well as hidden identities and incarnations.

In these two paintings I compared the duality inherent in ourselves and nature: the masculine and feminine, day and night and the receding and expanding waves of energy seen around us everywhere, in the tides, in the wind and in our own breathing. “Yin” depicts the spiritual realm: sleep, silence, reverence, the night and the moon along with its related concepts and associated myths. “Yang” represents the material realm: action, excitement, the sun, daytime and its related symbology.

Through these large and colorful paintings, which represent my inner self, in contrast to the serenity and neutral clothing of the figure, I am making a comment on the importance of our internal self and spirit as opposed to societies dominant interest in outer values. I also portrayed scenes from mythology, fairy tales and folklore, which teach us universal truths and wisdom, guiding us and giving a deeper perspective and added meaning to our lives. I encourage and cultivate the art of storytelling in my work because I feel it is getting lost in our day and age. My hope is that with these paintings, the telling of my story will blend with the viewers’ own personal ideology and give them a fresh point of view and a new story as well as deeper meaning and a new perspective to their own thought process.