Today we’d like to introduce you to Robin Gates.
Hi Robin, thanks for joining us today. So, tell us a little bit about how you started your art practice.
I hate sketchbooks. As a business major, I was only able to take a few college art classes, and the dreaded sketchbook was a large part of our grade. We were supposed to have a daily sketchbook practice and turn it in at the end of the course. I never enjoyed drawing in my sketchbook. I hated the blank pages, and my drawings never looked the same as the images in my head. I would think, “Who do you think you are to be in this class,” as I glanced over at my neighbor, drawing a close-up of the backside of a polar bear for an assignment about the principle of black and white contrast. Genius! So two days before sketchbooks were due, I would attempt to draw on every page to try and create the illusion that I worked on it every day for an entire semester. I never really pulled it off. I received my business degree (because pursuing art as a career would obviously be silly) and began my career in the hotel industry; painting would be something I’d do in my spare time. But, I always felt that calling.
So, after a few years in the hotel biz, I took a seasonal job with the Cherry Creek Arts Festival. If I couldn’t make a living DOING art, I could at least be AROUND it. It was heaven to me–to be around all those artists and talking about art all day. That lead me to pursue digital media — the perfect blend of art + business into a paying career. The painting would be something I’d do in my spare time. I have now spent the bulk of my career as a graphic designer, which I do love, but a few years ago, I realized that “spare time” doesn’t really happen on its own, and I wasn’t painting anything. It’s like that stupid sketchbook. I finally get it. To be honest, I still don’t really draw in it. My pieces are layers and layers of paint and happen more organically, but I get the importance to the practice of art to just do something every day. Spare time isn’t going to just show up. Practice comes with consistency. Consistency comes with commitment, commitment comes with dedication.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
Don’t get me wrong, making a grand statement about practice and commitment isn’t the end. It’s hard work. Isn’t it the dream of an artist who wants to MAKE art to just DO art all day and not have to worry about anything else except having to grab that interrupting phone call from their fabulous studio with lots of natural light? Life and family and financial obligations are all part of it, and it’s not easy to weave in that “spare time” to get the work done.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I paint whimsy – characters, line, and texture – in acrylic and oil on wood panels, furniture, instruments and other 3D objects.
What has been the proudest moment of your career so far?
As mentioned, I was a seasonal employee of The Cherry Creek Arts Festival. Sixteen years after that, I found myself walking the hallways to the CCAF office – the same office I worked in– to check-in as an exhibiting artist to one of the most competitive art festivals in the country. My second proud moment was in 2017 when I received an amazing opportunity to paint a baby grand piano, as a live auction item, for The Global Down Syndrome Foundation Gala. Actor Jamie Foxx signed the piece and played the piano at a private party the night before.
Contact Info:
- Website: robinfayegatesart.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/robinfayegatesart/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Robin-Faye-Gates-Art-117514798361667
Image Credits
Profile Photo: Stevie Crecelius
