Annie Murphy-Robin

Artist Statement:

The intent of my work is to allow the viewer to interpret meaning using their own experience.  My feelings/ thoughts behind it are directly related to my personal history with the subjects in the work, whether they are animate or inanimate.  A certain sadness, hopelessness or resignation seems to always be present, for me it allows for deeper contemplation. I tend to title the work in a very straight-forward manner, that way the viewer again has access to the image and isn't steered in a different direction.

The technique that I use I believe is exclusive to myself, I use sandpaper as a medium to embed dry material into heavy paper. Using this technique, I am able to “see” in the dark; I use a myriad of photographic reference for the images of my daughters and draw from life the images of my old toys and memorabilia.  The use of this technique takes the work to a “hyper-real” level and lends itself well to the pervasive feeling of melancholy that exists. My work confronts the viewer and asks questions.

There is honesty to the work that I can only express if I have a true connection with it.  I pick out everything from the outfits and rugs that the subjects sit on to the lighting in order to capture the feeling that I wish to convey for that body of work.  I have started to incorporate props as well which leads to a narrative that is also open for interpretation. My art is a diary of sorts, inner self-portraits that cause me to reflect on my childhood experiences, good and bad.

My name is Annie Murphy-Robinson and I am a practicing artist and art educator in the Sacramento CA area.  I received my Bacholars of Fine Art, core concentration painting, in 1994 at the University of Southwestern LA and my Masters in Art with an empasis in drawing in 2002 from CA State University, Sacramento, in 2002.  I have been an adjunct proffessor for the local jr colleges in the past and now have been teaching high school art, ceramics and PE for the last nine years.  I currently teach at a continuation high school, which , because of the district's conservative nature and my subject matter, I am not at liberty to say the name. 

My first exhibition at the Gregory Kondos Gallery on the campus of Sacramento City College was my most significant show. Having someone believe in my work and promoting it to the "right " people led to my first "for profit" show at Sacramento's B. Sakata Gara Gallery in which I had a two page article written about me (unflinchingly I might add) and shortly thereafter, sold out my entire show.  That was in 2006. 

I applied to be included in the artist's regestry at the Drawing Center in New York and was accepted shortly there after when I was interviewed by the main curator there at the time, Luis Camnitzer.  It was my most expensive critique to date!  Through that regestry, I was recently asked to have a pastel piece of mine  called "Clown Coitus" on the cover of Drawing Essentials II, I am awaiting it's release and to receive my free copy as I type!  

 Another significant show would be when I was included in "Art in the 21st Century" at the Natsoulas Gallery in Davis, curated by Edward Lucie Smith. I got to exhibit next to and be compared with Philip Pearlstein and other  nationally and internationally prominent artists.  This was the first time my work had ever been published in a book format. 

Since then, I have entered and won numerous art competitons; (god that sounds so stuck up!) including best in show in the Northern National Art competion, Santa Cruz Art League, Emerald City Art Center and at the Gibbons Fine Art Center in the last year.  When I'm not showing to sell, competions are a good way to (hopefully!) build capitol to frame my work, which at times when it's large, is very costly. 

I have been in numerous group shows over the years, and I am now preparing for my forth solo show, this time at the John Natsoulas Gallery in Davis, CA  this July, 2012.