PASSION PAINTING: ROBIN F WILLIAMS

#Interview – It has been long, very long, that I follow Robin F Williams on Instagram. I was always waiting for a show in Europe that I could see, but somehow it’s never happening for me. So this is one of the rare Passion Paintings where I haven’t seen personally the work. Maybe it’s better for me, as I have the feeling it’s going to knock my socks off or whatever is the idiom in English to stay that my eyes are going to drop on the floor. @robinfrancescawilliams

Ms Williams utilizes a variety of techniques, including oil, acrylic, airbrush, marbling, and the staining of raw canvas, to create figurative paintings that are at once confounding and familiar.  Earlier this year, Williams presented a series of new paintings that reimagine the coded narratives of American media in With Pleasure at Various Small Fires, Los Angeles. With her west coast debut as well as three solo exhibitions at P·P·O·W, Williams has garnered critical recognition for her contribution to figurative and feminist painting, noting the complexity of her compositions, technical virtuosity and the psychological depth of her narratives. In her review of Williams’ 2017 exhibition Your Good Taste is Showing, Roberta Smith of the New York Times wrote: “These painting are timely, but they are also enigmatic, off-putting and out there in rewarding ways.”

www.robinfwilliams.com / Represented by www.ppowgallery.com

How do you start your day?

I eat a good breakfast, check emails, go to studio, put on a podcast and start working. 

Do you like exhibiting your work? What do you do on the openings?

I like exhibiting my work in the proper context, yes. I typically talk with people who have come out to support my work. 

What is your favorite place to think about a new painting?

I come up with ideas when I’m walking or about to fall asleep. I like thinking about new paintings everywhere and all the time. 

What is your relation to past painters, and history of art?

Every painter is in relationship with art history. I aim to be informed by it without being indoctrinated by it. 

Which question would you like to ask your painting Idol?

I try not to idolize others. I love asking artists about their practice, and those questions usually arise organically depending on the context. 

How did you develop this work you’re doing now?

I made a painting, that painting led to another painting. I just kept making the next painting. 

How did you meet your favorite collector?

I don’t have a favorite collector. I love all of them equally.

Why do we still paint in 2020?

I still paint in 2020 because I still have ideas for paintings. 

Where is Painting heading?

I don’t pretend to know. I just paint what I want to see.

Can you tell me 3 colleagues whose work you admire?

It’s hard to pick only three. Loie Hollowell, Gina Beavers, and Louis Fratino. 

Thank you Robin, and thank you reader.

All images belong to the Artist.