Paint Party Friday: Week 43, Year 2 Check In Featured Artist: Robin Weinrib

image courtesy of Robyn Weinrib

Welcome to Week 43 of Paint Party Friday (Year 2) and to the next edition of our Featured Artist Series! (Would you like to be a PPF Featured Artist? Please click here for details!) This week's featured artist entices us with her enthusiasm, shares her passion, and finds healing through wonderful whimsical portraits.  Please welcome Robyn Weinrib!

Please tell us a bit about your personal history with painting. (When did you start painting? How has your painting evolved since you first started?)
I started to do Artwork after I had a horrible Motorcycle accident. I was a professional Dancer before the accident and ended up in a wheelchair. I went into a deep depression after the accident and when I was fighting to come out of it I knew I had to find another creative outlet... Dance had been my life and I no longer had the proper use of my legs. I just knew if I could do something creative I would get better psychologically.

I first started by doing artwork Digitally, but this wasn't enough for me so I tried Scrapbooking and then got into creating Cards. I still wasn't satisfied and felt like something was missing. I just knew I wanted to do more... I started to create those little ATC cards... But didn't really like working so little... It was too tame for me and constricted. I still felt like I was missing something... I started to look at a lot of Whimsical Portraits and found I loved them. I took a few workshops and with a lot of practice, I found my love for painting. Now I felt I was on the right track. Like I had come Home... It felt all warm and fuzzy!! Oh I got frustrated many times when my work didn't come out right... I had to learn more and more... As the years went by and many paintings that got thrown out, I finally found myself. That's not to say I still don't throw out my work. I'm my own worse critic!! I have that inner monster that a lot of gals talk about that tells me I'm not good enough, that others are so much better.. That I stink for the most part!! LOL I have learned over time to tell my Inner Monster to take a hike!! I remember when I put my first piece up for sale... It took about a month to get the guts to do this... When I got commissioned to do a piece for someone I said to them "Are you sure you want me ?" LOL. I am my own worse enemy sometimes.



What are your favorite techniques, media, and tools to use in creating your paintings?
 I am very much into Mixed Media.. I love the freedom of using whatever you want to create something... To combine mediums and then combine again over layers and layers of different paints, inks, papers... etc. LOL

My Favorite tool is my Fingers! I love to paint with them and get all dirty and messy.. I don't think I own a piece of clothing that doesn't have paint on them! LOL. I really need to invest in an Apron... ROFL!

 

image courtesy of Robyn Weinrib

and oh I'm a Hoarder now... I can not throw a supply away.. From Designer Paper to Paints, Inks, clay, embossing powders, stickers... Just anything that has to do with Art I want to hoard!! I say to myself "Maybe someday" Maybe someday I'll need this or that and use it! Maybe I should go on that show "Hoarders".. LOL Thank God I have a big Studio to put it all in and close the door! LOL

What is your favorite thing to paint? Why?
Whimsical Gals are my favorite thing to paint. I love to create big eyes and curly long hair.... I think it's because when I'm painting a whimsical gal I can get my inner feelings out... If I'm sad then she is sad, if I'm happy then she becomes happy and a bit more whimsical... Sometimes to get myself out of a bad mood I'll create a real cutesy piece... When I'm done painting I feel so much better and my mood now matches my painting.

image courtesy of Robyn Weinrib

What is your proudest painting moment and/or greatest painting achievement so far? 

My Proudest moment was when I was commissioned to do a piece. She wanted a Steampunk gal... One that depicted her daughter... Her daughter had passed away several years back from Drugs and she wanted this piece to be special... I called this piece Steampunk Annie in honor of her daughter. Her daughter was a wild one but a good girl at heart. She passed away very young in her early 20's... She was beautiful girl and I wanted to capture that in the painting. Of course, once again I heard that inner monster telling me how horrible the piece was but when this gal got her painting to hear her tell me how much she loved it and how she cried when she first saw it so warmed my heart.

What's next in your painting future?
I want to learn, learn learn everything there is about Art!! If I was younger I would go back to college and study it... I'm Obsessed and Possessed!! LOL I'm 61 years old now and have lived a very interesting and wild life before that darned accident but until I started to get into Art once I couldn't dance anymore, I hadn't started to live again. Art is my passion now like Dance once was. I'm so grateful that I found myself again by doing Art.. There were many years after my accident that I was one miserable person. Deep in depression, feeling very sorry for myself and just not wanting to participate in Life on Life's terms. When I'm up in my Studio I can turn everything off!! My problems melt away until I leave and close the door to the messiest room in the house and go back to being a cripple in a wheelchair.. It's not so bad now. I have learned to live with my handicap... Just last year the pain I have, got very severe... I started to get depressed again... but I managed to pull myself out by pouring myself into my Artwork.. I tell ya the best antidepressant is Artwork!! There is no medication that is any better!

I do a lot of painting now and collages... Mostly Whimsical... oh yeah I'm an avid Art Journaler Also... Talk about Freedom!! When you are Art Journaling, there are no rules at all!! You can just go for it!!

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Thank you for sharing your very inspiring story, Robyn - It is a pleasure to watch you "go for it"!

You can see a lot of Robyn's work on her blog
http://robynsfetishblog.blogspot.com

on Flickr

http://www.flickr.com/photos/52737987@N05/

on Etsy

 http://www.etsy.com/shop/IDiditCreations

Visit her anytime on her Facebook Page
http://www.facebook.com/simplysassydesigns?ref=tn_tnmn

Robyn is also one of the Owners of an online store for Art Supplies and Scrapbooking Supplies called "Outlaw Women Scrapbook Emporium"

http://ididitcreations.com/club

and last but not least she sells her Digital Stamps

http://robynsfetish.com/shop/index.php?main_page=

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**Would you like to be a PPF Featured Artist? (Of course you do!)
Click here for more details!**

As always, please make sure to use your post URL address NOT your blog home page URL address as there are many late visitors who get confused as to which post is for PPF when they arrive (after Friday) at your website. If you are unfamiliar with Mr. Linky, an explanation of how this tool works can be found on Week 1 and Week 2 Check-Ins.

Have a fantastic creative week! Next week we will talk more about the auction idea mentioned in Week 41.