I am intrigued by the phenomenon of vanishing cultures, ancient architecture, marks of graffiti, light and space.  I create pattern, linear designs, shapes and forms into my own visual language, which is intuitively based.  I use what I refer to as “visual symbols”, sometimes literal, yet mystical.  I often write on the surfaces of my work and, by layering the paint, I can disguise any imagery altogether.  I make surfaces that resemble weathered walls, frescos, cracked plaster or cement, and the reaction of time on paint.  I view my work with a continual sense of discovery and enjoy the complexities of interpreting that sense.

I am drawn to how light shifts our perception of what surrounds us, creating a halo of soft diffusion or pockets of ambiguity. I am intrigued by patterns and distortions in landscapes- where images of what is "real" and what is "reflected" are set adrift or submerged in a nebulous space.

I’ve shifted from pure abstraction to more abstracted landscapes since moving further outside of the city. I mainly draw inspiration from the local wetlands preserve in Sonoma County, though the work is mostly invented in my studio by recalling light and sensations.

The light is inextricably connected to the water, the land, and the atmosphere. These elements have inspired me to create momentary, imagined, experienced, and idealized situations in my paintings. The paint itself becomes a part of the landscape experience- the soil, the light, the sentiment- and it guides the forms that allude to the land.

I marvel at the mystery that exists in the stillness of the shadows. My process has become a romantic exploration of drifting, pulling apart, converging, ascending, and descending.

I make colorful mixed media paintings. The subjects vary from urban scenes to landscapes. I try to show a reality that might not be obvious but uses a combination of elements that are surprising.

I want to make an emotional connection with the viewer that will captivate your imagination, draw you into the story, and be memorable.

I paint using primarily square canvases and limited color palettes inspired by San Francisco, the urban environment, and memories of growing up in the Pacific Northwest.  My Grate Series explores the idea of the barrier or screen by placing intentional visual obstacles – a grid – over emotionally resonant abstract compositions.  By dividing up the picture plane, the grid slows down the viewing process and forces the viewer to reflect on the act of looking.  When viewed in groups, this engagement expands to include a dialogue between pieces, exploring how the interaction between parts in the whole of the single painting is mirrored in the interaction between single paintings and the group. The grid also forces recognition of the way that paintings shape their own experience, necessitating engagement with each painting as a unique physical object rather than simply the carrier for an image.  Counterintuitively, once the barrier is recognized and engaged it becomes a tool for greater rather than lesser understanding, and the viewer becomes a participant in their experience rather than merely a spectator to it.   

Jonah Burlingame, a San Francisco based artist, creates mixed media paintings composed of stunning organic textures that are balanced by architectural lines.  His distinct style of suspending layers of paint and other materials in varnish rewards viewers with a multi-dimensional world they can melt into and explore.

Burlingame's unique process of applying paint and varnish in very thin layers, using non traditional implements such as window squeegees, 14" drywall blades, and windshield wipers is self-discovered.  Within this process, he has left plenty of opportunity for chance - and refers to it as "controlling the accident".  By allowing for chance within his process, Burlingame constantly challenges himself with new problems, and thus is repeatedly questioning his creative direction. 

Through his recent journey to evolve his work stylistically, Burlingame has adopted new materials and methods of working. Inspiration came from the recurring presence in his life of the film and soundtrack of “A Clockwork Orange”. White molded plastic, aluminum, fiberglass, and deep glossy finishes came to his mind’s eye, which later led to influences which he reduced to basic elements such as color, composition and texture with the addition of materials such as fiberglass cloth and aluminum foil. Themes of transformation, action, and distress have provided new opportunities to impact his process. Rich color fields and organic textures are juxtaposed with graphic lines that seek to show a balance of energy and tranquility, creating a vibe that is both ethereal and precise.  The titles of his works add yet another layer of abstraction, rather than provide clues of any intended meaning.  The subject of Burlingame's work continues to be the work itself, ultimately offering his work for the viewer’s own interpretation.

I love motorcycles. Especially the Indian made Royal Enfield Bullet. My dad used to own one when I was growing up. He would seat me on the fuel tank in front of him and drop me to nursery school every morning on his way to work. Every evening, I waited by the window for the thunderous sound of his motorcycle that I could single out from scores of others.

The Royal Enfield is the most popular brand in India. It moves the whole country, from the milkman to the rich kid, the tourist to the Indian Police and Army. City kids deck them with leather trims and custom fittings while the farmer outfits it with threshing equipment. However, I am a fan of the stock model and in this series I focus on it's classic vintage silhouette. I primarily work with acrylic paints and mediums on canvas. But in this series I have used other mediums and techniques such as ink, textural mediums and screenprinting.

I am an artist, a traveler, a writer and a teacher.

I engage in the process of visually exploring and describing my experiences as a woman living in an urban culture in the 21st century.  I am a mother and grandmother and all of my experience instructs my practice.

The human figure and nature are central to my work.   I question what is familiar and find nuances buried in the layers of the everyday.

Text is an important component, and most every piece has a story or text beneath and through the work.  Building layers, sometimes placing familiar imagery in context of a new environment, the voice of my work is evident in the line and space that becomes a new language within the work.

Painting, drawing and taking photographs is a form of discovery for me.  

Bio

Robbin Milne is a California painter and studio artist.

She is associated ArtsBenicia, Oakland ProArts, San Francisco and Berkeley communities.

She has exhibited her work in the Bay Area 
during the past 15 years in solo as well as 
group shows such as the Oakland ProArts 
Annual Open Studios, Arts Benicia Auction, 
Arts Benicia Open Studios.

Robbin has also been seen in other venues 
including the Benicia Library Art Gallery, 
Orinda Art Gallery, Bedford Art Gallery, 
Sebastopol Arts Center and other venues in 
the area.  

Her work is in Bay Area private collections:  In 
Napa and the South Bay areas, including 
Filoso/Obrien of Oakland and the Heydlers of 
Danville, now in Germany.  Collectors abroad 
include Canada, France and Italy and Turkey.  

Ms. Milne received the Ralph DuCasse Award 
for Academic Excellence in Studio Arts, and 
completed her BA in Studio Art at Mills College,
Oakland California.

She was born in Lake Charles, Louisiana in 
1957.

She continues to offer art instruction and 
appreciation, and has worked in the National 
Institute of Arts and Disabilities with adults.

The son of a seamstress and mechanic, my art-making process continues a family history of labor through the meticulous hand-made acrylic paintings on wooden panel and ink drawings. As a first-generation middle-class American growing up in the 80's & 90's under the influence of MTV, Nickelodeon, plastic toys, candy and bold fashion – my work construct and unravel my landscape, architecture and interior spaces with flat color, line and intricate patterns.

Pushing the cannon of Chicano art beyond graffiti or large-scale murals, these works also investigate identity through the lens of such a richly traditional infrastructure. My work, create a new kind of iconography, symbolically operating on the micro level of the personal, able to be inserted into a larger historical and cultural dialogue.

Like clocking in and out of my very own studio sweatshop, my process extends from super-controlled acrylic painting into laborious experimental ink drawings on paper, continuing an abstract investigation into line, color and pattern- an homage to my mother and reminiscent of a childhood play area in her sewing room piled with fabric swatches. The vulnerable process of creating “swatch-drawings” celebrate accidental moments and mishap when man imitates machine; one of life's lessons which forces us to make lemonade out of lemons. Through both painting and drawing my cultural and personal history is explored, questioned and celebrated.

Jeff Snell's paintings unite traditional landscapes and popular culture as vigorous abstract rhythms. Working with brush and spray, Snell uses expressive gestures that incorporate a variety of forms found in nature and elements of urban flair. The organic qualities of his subjects exist in a fantastic world, where the natural position and order of the landscape is challenged in an unruly microcosm. His paintings radiate an energy and excitement that engage the viewer and offer a glimpse of nature's inner sanctum.

In this current series, I'm investigating environments from the imagination, thinking of these as glimpses of atmospheric forces mingling with eachother. Each canvas is a window into a bit of ordered chaos where nature is continually changing and the viewer is center stage to a swirling cosmos.