"The Girl with the ruby necklace"
oil painting by Robin Dodge

Photograph by Mel Shockner










I was inspired by Jean-Francois Millet 's - Louise Antoinette Feuarden. A beautiful portrait of a young girl with milky white skin.
My design strategy was to create a portrait of my daughter Tiffany in the general style of Millet.
My work process was to use the muted and limited color pallet to capitalize on the Flemish painting style.

"Leda and the Swan"
oil painting by Robin Dodge

Photograph by Mel Shockner




I was inspired by two long held traditions of fine art. The first being the tradition of the narrative using mythology. Secondly, the nude.
My design strategy was to create a playful interpretation of the Greek Myth, "Leda and the Swan"
My work process was pretty straight forward, through my imagination I created a scenario of Leda bathing at the pool where Zeus comes to her disguised  as a swan.

"Still in Red"
pastel on sandpaper by Robin Dodge

Photograph by Mel Shockner





I was inspired by the traditional still life that was and is a common practices of fine art.  Referencing, Goya's "Still life with fruit-bottles-Bread"
My design strategy was to create a balanced still life composition utilizing the interest of fabric textures and folds.
The work process was primarily experimental, at the time. I bought a role sandpaper from a friend. Using spray adhesive, I attached it to foam board. The sandpaper really grabs the pastel and adds a depth and dimension to the work that I had not experienced previously with pastels.

"Sheena Lisa"
oil painting by Robin Dodge
sold


Photograph by Mel Shockner






I was inspired, needless to say, by the Mona Lisa. I was attracted to the formal pose of DaVinci's subject, the landscape of his imagination and the the fact that he worked on this painting for many years and it is rumored that he never considered it complete.

raise your hand if you can relate to that

My design strategy was to incorporate the background from the Mona Lisa with a contemporary portrait of my daughter Sheena.
My work process was to mute the colors of the borrowed landscape to represent the time that has passed and punched up the colors of my subject to bring it to Now...

"Portrait of Troy"
oil painting by Robin Dodge

Photograph by Mel Shockner







I was inspired by Rembrandt's masterful rendering of his subjects. He is regarded by many as the master of portrait painting, capturing their soulful essence.
My design strategy was to build on my existing skills as a portrait painter, pushing myself to transcend what I thought I knew and find  what Rembrandt has to teach me. I wanted to capture the real Troy, a spark of his soul caught on canvas.
My work process was to, using the colors I saw in Rembrandt's work and go for it. I am very happy with the outcome.

"Orange Peeling"
Oil painting by Robin Dodge

Photograph by Mel Shockner







My inspiration was first of all, the skill in which Caravaggio painted his still-life paintings and secondly, the drama he so masterfully injected into all of his work. His work as well as his life was filled with drama.
My design strategy was to create drama with light, color, and simplicity.
My work process. I started a number of paintings while reflecting on  Caravaggio. But the drama I was attempting, seemed too manufactured. So I went to the drama of simplicity.

King's Cloak
By Robin Dodge
sold

Photograph by Mel Shockner



My inspiration was the immense body of work that Donatello and Michelangelo created with stone and bronze in their lifetimes. I wanted to share the experience of touching stone and pulling out the creation that lives within the stone.
My design strategy was the body of the owl to have a gentle curve to create the sense of movement even though the owl is in a stationary pose. I used the mix of media to extend the drama and to convey the regal presence owls hold in nature.
My work process. Monty Taylor, sculptor and I had shared a really cool studio with three other artists and at that time we became friends. Then life took us in different directions. Recently we shared in a collaborative project, he with the stone, I with the copper. Originally intended to be a fund raiser for a Kenyan tribe trying to put together a water source for an endangered heard of giraffe, we were very happy with the outcome. At the time I was studying the Renaissance sculptors  who used stone. I wanted to try it. At his studio we were looking in his scap stone pile for a small stone I could work with to get my toes wet. The owl was blocked out but the wing had broken off so it ended up in the discard. It attracted me on a number of levels. Re-purposing is a favorite pass time of mine and my love for winged creatures. The stone is Colorado alabaster and I made the wings with copper to resemble a royal cloak.