Hilda Robinson - Solo Exhibition
Curated by Orlonda Uffre
Artist Statement-
My work is documentation of the life that stirs around me. I am an observer, riding the trains, the buses, and walking the streets. I hear what folks are saying, watch where they go and how they move to get there. I see what they wear, especially the church-folks, and this gives me information, inspires me. Motivated by the various people, places, and things, I start to draw from my mind and the ideas often change midstream. Strangers invite themselves into the composition, and they are welcome. They sit down, stand up, or lean back molding themselves into the background, and they belong exactly where they are. They look as they look, often with arms too long or heads to large, being themselves. This is the incredible movement of the human spirit that persists in my work.
Oil pastels were created just for me. I am able to place color on color, black on white and vice versa. I owe a debt of gratitude to my teacher and mentor Joan Brown who introduced me to this marvelous medium at the University of California, Berkeley..
Through generations, the icons of black life in America have sustained me. The stories they tell are common to use all.
It is a pleasure to have my work here at the Abrams Claghorn Gallery and I am thankful. I am able to present my work representing the very people who may pass by. There might be those who ride the public transportation and walk down the same streets where I walk. My work might inspire them to tell their stories and add to the wonder that is about us in our diverse communities. The day to day realities here in my work are familiar. Through generations the icons of the black community have sustained me. The stories I tell are common to us all.
