Marsha Robinett » About the Artist

Marsha L Robinett

She and Her Pencil are again "Best Friends"

American artist Marsha L. Robinett was born in Danville, Illinois in 1946.  Marsha was drawing portraits of her family when she was still in grade school.  After High School she laid her pencil down to pursue the vocation of 'wife and mother'.

She has worked most of her life as a hairdresser, and more recently became a Tech Support Agent for FASO.  She has one daughter and a grandson who live in New York.  Now, many years later, she and her pencil are again "best friends."  Marsha says she draws today because she can't think of anything else she would rather do...and she will also tell you that her artistic talent is a gift from God.

About the Artists Work:
Working on cream toned paper Marsha uses predominately carbon pencil, with accents of charcoal and graphite...to achieve the dramatic look that has become her signature style.  The combination of the cream toned paper and the carbon pencil gives her drawings a tonal warmth and depth not usually seen in black and white art. 

Marsha's drawing style is  "creative realism", with a keen eye for detail and composition.  Where some would consider the pencil only for the preliminary sketch, she takes her drawings to the next level by creating complete and detailed works of art.  Her still life drawings depict the familiar and stir our memories, while her portraits capture the soul of the individual. 

Artist Resume:
Marsha is a "self taught artist."  Having no formal education in the field of art,  she has nurtured her talent by studying with well known pencil and charcoal artists...Margaret Baumgaertner for charcoal portraits, and J. D. Hillberry for drawing techniques in portraiture and still life using carbon, charcoal, and graphite.  Her class with J. D. Hillberry in 2004 was a turning point in her career as an artist. 

Marsha began exhibiting her drawings in the spring of 2005 and continues to exhibit at juried art fairs during the spring and summer months...while devoting the winter months to her commissioned works, new original drawings of her own, and private showings.  Marsha's drawings can be found in numerous private collections throughout the United States and Europe.

Awards:
3 Best in Show                        3 First Place awards in Drawing and Graphics
1 Second in Show                   2 Second Place awards in Drawing and Graphics
1 Third in Show                       1 Third Place awards in Drawing and Graphics

Artist Statement:
I specialize in black and white art...feeling that it allows me to express the essence and emotions of the subject without the added distraction of color. 

In my still life work, I like drawing the common everyday things around me.  I see beauty and detail in their simple forms.  Where the painter sees color, I as a "pencil artist" see the shadows and the detail within those shadows.  Although not color blind, I think sometimes that I truly see in black and white.

My Portraits are especially near and dear to me.  I believe that a successful portrait is not just how closely it resembles the reference photo...but more importantly how completely it portrays the person.  My commissioned portraits represent a celebration of the subjects existence.

My goal, whether in still life or portraiture, is to capture the immortality of my subject on paper, conveying the feelings and atmosphere of that moment to the world, in my own unique style.  I like to believe that I see what others fail to see, what cameras fail to capture, and interpret that in my drawings.

Art tells a story...and there are always two stories to be told, that of the artist and that of the viewer.  I believe that my drawings allow you, the viewer, to see the color of your own imagination.

I thank you for your interest,
Marsha L. Robinett