Emily Kane Alexander Robinson

Each of my paintings begins as a voyage into the unknown. The adventure is to find a way to express in pigment the elusive effects of light in the air, movement on the water, or the unique energy of a particular day. Sometimes the adventure is simply playing with the paint until it feels right.

During the last few years I have been exploring the medium of oil bars on gessoed paper and canvas. This medium has taken me to new places beyond the plein air tradition of capturing a scene on location. Now my paintings often begin in the studio, supported by photos, field sketches, memories and ideas. I love the texture, marks, and interweaving of colors and strokes possible with oil bars. I have always been fond of the gestural marks made by an artist, seeing where the hand has been, an intimate trail of energy and intention.

Born in Pennsylvania and raised mostly in Virginia, K Robinson studied fine arts in college, earned a Master of Architecture degree, and practiced architecture for many years in Washington, DC. before moving to California in 1993. While in the Bay Area she reconnected with painting and ventured into two new genres—plein air landscape oil painting and botanical watercolors. In 2003, she and her family relocated to Seattle, where she continued studying and painting at Gage Academy of Art under the mentorships of Mitch Albala, Margaret Davidson, and Tom Hoffmann. In 2008, she became a member of the 49th Street Studio in the Ballard neighborhood of Seattle. Influenced by over forty years of sailing and living on the water, she continues to draw inspiration from the constantly changing coastlines, luminous skies, and endless waterways of the Pacific Northwest.

EDUCATION & AFFILIATIONS

2012—Juried member of Women Painters of Washington
2012—Artist Trust
2008—Member of 49th Street Studio, Seattle, WA
2003-08Gage Academy (formerly Seattle Academy of Fine Art), Seattle, WA
2003-06Member of Pacific Northwest Botanical Artists and American Society of Botanical Artists
2001-03Member of The Glover Group, Orinda, CA
1977Master of Architecture, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
1973Bachelor of Arts in Fine Arts (Cum Laude), College of William & Mary, Williamsburg, VA

GALLERY REPRESENTATION

2012—Women Painters of Washington Gallery, Columbia Center, Seattle, WA
2011—Beach Gallery, Virginia Beach, Virginia
2010–20Bainbridge Arts & Crafts Gallery, a non-profit gallery, Bainbridge Island, WA

Exhibitions & Awards

2024Matzke Gallery WPW Juried Show, Camano Isl., WA, "Limitless Possibilities"
2023Cordata Gallery, Bellingham, WA –Juried show "Fresh Perspectives"
2023Scott Milo Gallery, Anacortes, WA –Juried show "Like a Breath of Fresh Air"
2023Women Painters of Washington Gallery – "Color Outside the Lines"
2022Matzke Gallery WPW Juried Show, Camano Isl., WA, "Creative Paradigm"
2022Women Painters of Washington Gallery – "Flower Power"
2021Beach Gallery, "Falling for Art", Virginia Beach, VA
2021Women Painters of Washington Juried Exhibit – juried show "This is Me",
2021Women Painters of Washington Juried Exhibit – juried show "Reflection", Award Received
2020Wenatchee Valley Museum & Cultural Ctr – juried show "The Legacy Continues: Empowering Women"
2020Women Painters of Washington Gallery – "Innovations"
2019American Art Company, Tacoma, WA – Juried show "Elemental Rhapsody"
2019Women Painters of Washington Gallery – "The Language of Blue"
2019Scott Milo Gallery, Anacortes, WA –Juried show "A Brush with Color"
2019University House Wallingford – "WPW: From the Studio to the Gallery"
2019Women Painters of Washington Gallery – "On Location"
2018San Francisco Women Artists Gallery – "Northwest Perspectives"
2018Matzke Fine Art Gallery, Camano Island, WA – Juried show "Play of Light"
2018Allied Arts Gallery in the Park, Richland, WA – Juried show "Fusion"
2018Northwest Maritime Center in Port Townsend, WA –Solo show "On the Water"
2018Women Painters of Washington Gallery – "Portraits With/Out People" and "Duets"
2017Women Painters of Washington Gallery – "Threads" and "Seasons"
2017Childhood’s End Gallery, Olympia, WA – Juried show "Seasons" Betty Jo Fitzgerald Award
2017The Prince Street Gallery, New York, NY – Juried show "Women Artists Coast to Coast: East "
2016Women Painters of Washington Gallery – "BIG" and "Abstract Marks"
2016Confluence Gallery & Art Center, Twisp, WA – "Back to the Garden"
2016Bellevue Arts Museum Community Education Gallery, Bellevue, WA – "Women's Work"
2015Confluence Gallery & Art Center, Twisp, WA – "After the Wildfire: Rebuilding and Recovery"
2015Women Painters of Washington Gallery – "Radiance" and "BLACK & WHITE +one"
2015Scott Milo Gallery, Anacortes, WA – Juried Show "Summer Impressions"
2015Larson Gallery , Yakima, WA – " Visual Voices "
2014Women Painters of Washington Gallery – "Harmony, Members show" and "Atmosphere"
2013Women Painters of Washington Gallery – "Finale" and "Illumination"
2013Polaris Global Mobility, Seattle, WA – "Selected works from Evanescence and Color of Light"
2013Edmonds Arts Festival, Edmonds, WA – "Juried Gallery"
2012-13Women Painters of Washington – "Traveling Show"
2012Women Painters of Washington Gallery – "Insights" and "Encounters"
2012Lynnwood Convention Center, Lynnwood, WA – Juried Group Show
2012Phinney Center Gallery, Seattle, WA – Juried Landscape Show
2011Lila Yoga Studio, Seattle, WA – Solo show of botanical paintings
2011The Edmonds Arts Commission and the Edmonds Arts Festival Museum presents
2011Paintings by K Robinson, solo show, Francis Anderson Center, Edmonds, WA
2010Gage Academy Alumni Show, Seattle, WA
2009Made in Montlake Art Show, Seattle
2009Gage Academy Alumni Show, Seattle, WA
2008Gage Academy – Rosen Gallery solo show "The Color of Light"
2008Gage Academy – Annual Student Show
2008Madison Valley Art Walk, Seattle, WA
2007Laurelhurst Community Center – "Holiday on Earth" Art Show, Seattle, WA
2007Gage Academy – Annual Student Show: Pen & Ink, Pastel, and Watercolor Show; Plein Air Show
2006The Beauty of Botany, international juried exhibition of botanical paintings, at Pacific Science Center, Seattle, WA
2006Gage Academy – Annual Student Show
2006Madison Valley Art Walk,
2006Gage Academy – "Landscape Invitational", curated by Mitch Albala
2006Santosha Yoga Studio, Seattle, WA– solo show of botanical paintings
2005Seattle Academy of Fine Art – Annual Student Show; "Small Works Show"
2005Center for Urban Horticulture, "Contemporary Botanical Art of the Pacific Northwest,"
2005a juried exhibition in honor of the grand opening of Merrill Hall, University of Washington
2004Solo show "California Plein Air" at 2000 First Avenue, Seattle, WA, June –July
2004Seattle Academy of Fine Art –Annual Student Show – Third Prize in "Other" category
2004Seattle Academy of Fine Art – Works on Paper Invitational, curated by Margaret Davidson
2003Orinda Library Gallery, "The Glover Group: A Plein Air Painting Exhibition," Orinda, CA
2003Art Show benefit for "Preserve Lamorinda Open Space," Moraga, CA
2002Epperson Gallery, "Our Impressions: The Glover Group Show," Crockett, CA
2002Epperson Gallery, "Celebrate the Bridge" group show, Crockett, CA
2002Lamorinda Arts Alliance, group show at John Muir Medical Center, Walnut Creek, CA
2002Lamorinda Arts Alliance, "Open Studios 2002"
2002Orinda Library Gallery, "The Glover Group Show," Orinda, CA
2002Little Valley Vineyard, Glover Group Show, Sunol , CA