Personal Expressions
of Robin Ann Walker
The paintings presented
here have never been exhibited. They were executed in the early
months of 1998, and were my first paintings. I had no instruction,
and so was not hindered by technique or knowledge. The work may
appear bitter or negative, but it is not. It is an expression
of a lifetime habit of asking "what's the worst that can
happen?". This work speaks to the human condition and the
situations we find ourselves in. The issue of being a victim is
a common theme that runs through the whole series. It must have
been this period in my life that I gave up that position. I regard
this work as sacred, for it has served me as years of psychoanalysis
never could.
In the final
analysis, I choose life.
"Broken Promises" |
- Media: Acrylic on Canvas,
with paper collage
- Size: 24"h x 30"w
- Details: The background
was painted first, several shades of red, with the complimentaries
added to dull the brilliance. The bullets were scanned, digitized,
and printed in varying sizes. I made lists of all the ordinary
promises that each of us share with each other on a day to day
basis and printed them on art paper. I tore them into pieces,
burned the edges, and applied them to the painting along with
the bullets. The image in the upper right corner is a scan of
an original photograph taken by the news media at my son's funeral.
Overlayed across is it is the biggest broken promise of my life
"We will not risk the lives of American soldiers".
- Some of the Promises:
"I'll always love you", "I won't tell anyone",
"The check's in the mail", "You won't feel a thing",
"It's not contagious", "I'll pay you back",
"I would never lie to you", "You can count on
me"
- Meaning: The painting
was done in honor of my son, Daniel Walker, who lost his life
in the Persian Gulf war, 1/29/91. It came from anger, anguish,
and betrayal.
|
"Prom Queen" |
- Media: Acrylic on Canvas,
with paper collage
- Size: 24"h x 20"w
- Details: The background
was painted over multiple times, and sanded between layers. I
wanted to give the impression of time passed. The overlays are
scanned image from my high school yearbook, and old family photos.
The predominant photo under the red "X" is the prom
queen from my high school. The dribbling red paint is an obvious
reference to blood, with the underlying message that something
has really gone wrong here. The hand is painted, and it's mine.
- Meaning: I was digging
into the past on this one. It is a statement of expectations
that parents hold for their children, and my personal rebellion
from the standpoint of being the child.
|
"Danger"
Click to enlarge image. |
- Media: Acrylic on Canvas,
with paper collage and carpet tacks
- Size: Tryptich, each pc
20"h x 16"w
- Details: These panels
are heavily textured with gel medium dropped on the surface,
then made to run. The hand is a digital scan printed on an obituary
page from the newspaper. It is painted over. In the cup of the
hand are carpet tacks. Tacks are also scattered across the surface.
The word "Danger" is stencilled in a heavy red paint
application. There is one small bit of text applied on the left
bottom of the middle panel which reads "repress a traumatic
memory".
- Meaning: This image is
not so easy to quantify. It means many things to me, one of which
is my tendency to explore contrasts and ambivalency. The word
"danger" is intentionally separated into two fragments
which invite the question of the intention of the artist. (Is
it DANGER or D-Anger?) The answer is not evident, not in the
tacks, or the smearing drops of texture (tears?) or in the long
polished fingernails.
|
"Bondage" |
- Media: Acrylic on Canvas,
with paper collage
- Size: 30"h x 40"w
- Details: The background
is the same moody red that use a lot of. Applied to the surface
are digitized photos from the '50's of women in bondage. They
are printed on obituary pages from the newspaper, in a dark blue
color. There is a lot of text applied to the surface of this
painting, much of it obscured by glazes. It is presented in alphabetized
lists that I created and printed, and it is all about being a
victim. The surface is glazed many times over with a bare tint
of blue, which drips down the surface.
- Some of the Words: capture,
castrate, chain to a post, coerce, confine, hostage, humiliate,
imprison, incarcerate, struggle, subjugate, suffer
- Meaning: The subject is
being a victim. In making this painting I chose to exaggerate
the horror of not being under your own control. The colors, photos,
and especially the text were all chosen to emphasize this.
|
"Confession" |
- Media: Acrylic on Canvas,
with paper collage and razor blade
- Size: 24"h x 20"w
- Details: This image began
with blue, for the association with tears and sadness. The collage
in the top corner consists of layers of paper, mostly lined notebook
paper, on which more than 20 different people confessed things
to me. I didn't read them, I just tore them up and applied them
to the surface. Some of the stories are imaginary, but most are
real. I have layered in violent newspaper headings in with these
sad admissions. There is a heavy splattering of gel medium, and
multiple layers of blue glaze, both allowed to run down the canvas.
I have used fabric paint for the slash of red color so that it
would retain it's shape. There is a razor blade buried in the
puddle of paint in the bottom corner.
- Meaning: This painting
is all about guilt, and the associated despair that is its partner.
The literal story is that once your secrets are revealed, you
cannot live with other's judgment of you, so you slit your wrists
to escape.
|
"Prescription" |
- Media: Acrylic on Canvas,
with paper collage and pill capsules
- Size: 24"h x 20"w
- Details: I chose pink
in reference to the feelings of a drug-induced haze. The collage
consists of drug package inserts from Prozac, digitized images
of prescription bottle tops and labels. The texture on the bottom
half of the painting was produced by laying gauze over wet paint,
painting over the top, then removing the fabric. The pattern
contributes to the dreamy feeling. Of course there is always
a counter to that, and the heavy puddle of gel medium holds a
pile of pills (Prozac).
- Meaning: I could have
called this "Overdose". The subject of this painting
is giving up by way of medication. Perhaps the subject of this
painting was prescribed so many mood-altering drugs that he/she
no longer cared to live and took a whole a handful all at once?
|
"Bankrupt" |
- Media: Acrylic on Canvas,
with paper collage and plastic
- Size: 24"h x 20"w
- Details: The background
green color is an obvious reference to money. There are more
than 100 documents torn up and collaged to this image. And yes,
there are actual credit cards torn in half and applied to the
surface.
- The Documents: Past due
notices from credit card companies, utility companies, finance
companies. Repossession notice, notification from the IRS, a
lien filing, certified letter receipt, bankruptcy papers.
- Meaning: The theme here
is lack of financial control. The story is that overwhelmed with
a sense of failure and no path for escape, the only solution
appears to be bankruptcy. The crumpled papers in the left corner
are bankruptcy papers. Noticing that the papers are splattered
with red paint (blood?) you wonder if the subject of the painting
may have chosen another way out.
|
"Fan Mail" |
- Media: Acrylic on Canvas,
with paper collage, photograph, screen, crushed glass
- Size: 24"h x 20"w
- Details: The photo in
the middle is hidden behind a piece of torn screen wire, over
which is sprinkled crushed glass. In the bottom left corner is
a fragment of a love letter and concert tickets.
- Meaning: This painting
is about stalking. The torn screen, the glass, and the slash
of red paint let you know that something bad happened. It also
speaks to vulnerability and the sense of personal safety.
|
"Wedding Party" |
- Media: Acrylic on Canvas,
with paper collage and feather
- Size: 24"h x 20"w
- Details: "Something
borrowed, something blue" The colors for this piece practically
chose themselves. The collage consists of wedding invitations,
wedding cards, wedding photos, photos from brides out of the
newspaper, engagement announcements. There is a white feather
crushed into the crumpled divorce papers and red paint in the
bottom corner. All the paper items are real, including the divorce
papers.
- Meaning: This painting
is all about not being able to meet other's expectations in a
romantic relationship. I have again used the "I'd rather
be dead than be a failure" model, by suggesting that instead
of divorcing, there was an act of violence.
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