Artist Statement
Robin M. Cohen, a native of Los Angeles, worked as a dancer in her young adulthood but later returned to her childhood love for the visual arts. She presently pursues her passion for carving in stone, as well as painting and drawing in abstract, impressionist and photo-realistic styles, including face and body art.
She has shown at the Thousand Oaks Art Festival, Sierra Madre Art Festival, Art at the Lake in Big Bear, as well as many other venues, including the suites of two designers at the Pasadena Showcase House of Design. She studied at Pasadena City College, UCLA and extension courses at the Animation Union in North Hollywood. Robin has received awards for both her sculpture and drawing. She presently belongs to the Pasadena Society of Artists, California Art League, and the Angeles Crest Artist Guild.
“All of my life, I have responded to the need to create. I grasped pencil and paper at every moment I could as a child. As a young adult, I took dance classes and fell in love with the physical expression of the movement I have always seen everywhere. I was able to make a living dancing for a while and then returned to my first love, the visual arts. The discovery of stone work is what truly awakened my passion and there is nothing like the feel of working in stone to compare with any medium I've handled. I have such a connection with it that even the feel of the dust brings a bit of happiness."
"Working in stone brings its own meditation and discovery. I love how there is no way to know how the piece will look until it's done. Although I appreciate texturing, I always polish my pieces to bring out the natural patterns and beauty that are hidden within. I love sanding it to smoothness to make a "skin" that invites viewers to touch and take enjoyment in following the winding curves and movement of my carving. With my latest piece, “Flowering Moon”, however, I departed from my usual mode, as the stone itself called for a different treatment, and I left a section entirely alone and am very happy with the results. Creation is always a dance between the artist and the medium.”
-- Robin M. Cohen