Interview
Robin Wessman
Robin Wessman’s paintings are playful, mysterious, and contemplative. He is a contemporary realist artist who paints a variety of subjects that have the potential for a shared experience with viewers.
The underlying message in all his work is one of enlightenment, encouragement, and hope. His still-life paintings offer a different view of common ordinary objects using humor and imagination to create narratives that challenge the viewer. His paintings are a reaction to the natural beauty of Cape Cod where he lives and the creative and supportive community that surrounds him. His work is fueled by observation, imagination, experience, and a continuous drive to create paintings that go beyond the obvious and inspire viewers to see more than an accurate depiction of the subjects.
Technical craftsmanship along with emotion and implied narratives is what makes his paintings unique. Every painting seeks to seize the viewer's immediate attention and hold them long enough to think or feel some connection that gives them pleasure.
What is your background and how did you start your journey in the art world?
“Magic, stories and extraordinary craftsmanship have always fascinated me. As a child I loved drawing and playing with clay, then later as a teenager making things with wood. The only exposure I had to creativity was at home through my mother and father. My mother sewed, mostly out of need since I was the oldest of nine children and something always needed mending. She was very skilled with a needle and thread and to this day is an amazing quilter. My father had a workshop with woodworking tools and he encouraged me to make whatever I wanted, as long as I used the tools safely. So I did, and made all kinds of things including furniture, sculptures, and frames.
There was no art program in my high school, but there was a mechanical drawing class which I took for several years and loved every minute of it. I learned how to use T-squares and rulers to create exact drawings and much of that training has stayed with me to this day. In college, I enrolled as a business major only to find out how much I didn’t enjoy the classes, so I started an art club and recruited the local high school teacher to consult a couple days a week. It was then that I decided to change my major and apply to art schools. Six years later I had a master’s degree in Fine Art with a concentration in painting. My journey to grow as an artist continues to this day with workshops and practice. Today I am represented by several galleries in the US and teach painting on Cape Cod.”
What inspires you?
“Oysters, oranges and onions. Actually, I find inspiration all around me every day. I paint a range of subjects, from still life paintings of shellfish and limes to landscapes of sand dunes and marshes. Living on Cape Cod, I am surrounded by the natural beauty of beaches, water and dunes. Painting outdoors on the national seashore has been an inspiration for years where the light is amazing. I have painted many locations multiple times they are never the same due to changing tides, the seasons, and the weather changes constantly.
More recently, I have become interested in still life painting which has opened up a world where I can express my thoughts and emotions through various objects in my environment. Ideas for these paintings present themselves often and in many ways. It’s different than painting what’s in front of me, because I first have an idea then find the right objects and arrange them in a specific way that communicates my vision. Many of the ideas come from conversations, songs on the radio, books I read or even dreams.”
“The stories might be whimsical, mysterious or educational, but they are always focused on appreciating the world we live in and offering hope and encouragement for the viewer.”
What themes do you pursue? Is there an underlying message in your work?
“Courage, gratitude, resilience, and harmony just to name a few. The themes for all of my paintings have something to do with the human condition and regardless of subject always focus on appreciating what we have and striving to make things better. In my still life paintings I use common ordinary objects and arrange them as if they are in a play to convey moments people experience in everyday life. The stories might be whimsical, mysterious or educational, but they are always focused on appreciating the world we live in and offering hope and encouragement for the viewer.”
How would you describe your work?
“My paintings are technically very realistic, although I would not consider myself as a hyper-realist, but they are close. The paintings are intentionally realistic to attract the viewer and draw them in for a closer look to see that there is something else going on. The paintings often have bright colors and a strong sense of atmosphere whether it be a landscape or table with mushrooms and bottles. My realistic approach combined with imagination has evolved into some very unique paintings that viewers find very engaging.”
Which artists influence you most?
“The Dutch painters of the 17th century Golden Age are definitely the most influential for me. Not only is the realism handled skillfully, but their paintings tell stories of such ordinary people who lived in that time period showing them in everyday situations. The paintings also had lots of symbolism which gave them more meaning than just an accurate portrait of the subject. Johannes Vermeer is one of the most influential for me, especially in the way he painted intimate moments of common people in domestic settings.
Another group of influential artists are the surrealists who created paintings about ideas instead of just capturing the natural world around them. They went beyond painting subjects in front of them and instead used their imaginations to express ideas through realistic images that people could recognize. The one artist who stands out for me is Rene Magritte who gave new meaning to ordinary things. Although the realism in his work was minimal, it was just enough to express the message he wanted viewers to see.”
What is your creative process like?
“It starts with showing up every day in the studio to paint. I am constantly on the lookout for subjects to paint and actually have pages of ideas and locations to work on. Sometimes I feel like I am being bombarded with ideas because they literally come from everywhere. It could be something I heard, something I ate, a person I saw in the street, a sign I passed on the highway, or even a walk on the beach.
All of my work starts with painting from life to get the colors and composition right. The process I use is the indirect method for oil painting, which involves multiple steps starting with a drawing and field study. The drawing is then transferred to a toned canvas and an underpainting is completed with multiple values of umber and white. Local color is applied next to block in all the big shapes and when the paint is dry additional layers of paint continue refining the shapes to give them form and create atmosphere. As paintings dry between layers I work on other paintings and typically have at least 10 paintings going at any given time.”
What is an artist’s role in society and how do you see that evolving?
“Artists get people talking! Every person can experience art and have a reaction to it. Whether it’s painting, music, poetry or any other artform, people have reactions and feel the need to express what they love about it or hate about it and how it makes them think or feel. Artists have been innovators who shape culture and create change. The world needs creative thinkers to help solve the problems of today and the future. Going forward, artists have a key role in influencing the direction of our existence on this planet and a responsibility to inspire positive change.”
Have you had any noteworthy exhibitions you'd like to share?
“A recent trip to the Rijks Museum in Amsterdam was amazing. Seeing the Dutch master paintings in person for the first time was an unforgettable experience. There are so many exceptional Dutch artists, even beyond Rembrandt and Vermeer. It’s a great museum and I encourage people to experience the artwork in person at least once in their lifetime.”
Website: www.wessmanart.com
Instagram: @wessmanart
