Meet Trailblazer Catherine Robinson

Today we’d like to introduce you to Catherine Robinson.

Catherine, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
Growing up, I was always making art, but I did not start making sculptural works until I went to art school. I went to School of the Art Institute of Chicago and it was there I took my first bookbinding class! I experimented with bookbinding a bit throughout art school but it wasn’t until I graduated that I really dove in. Once I graduated, I no longer had enough space to create the same work anymore – I had been doing large installations in school. The tools to make a book were small enough to use in my apartment, so I started making small books. I then began to make environments for these books to live in, much like my installations from my art school days but on a much smaller scale.

A few years after graduating I moved to Colorado in 2013 and was inspired by the incredible landscapes surrounding me. They have influenced my work ever since I spend most of the summer painting outside and it has translated into my books in a variety of ways. I have made several cross country/out of country moves since 2013 but have been a teaching member at Denver Art Society whenever I have lived in the area. I teach simple bindings that are easy to do at home with very few tools- just like I did in my tiny apartment right after graduating. I love the traditional schools that teach bookbinding and attend them myself but the skills they teach are not always practical for the casual binder, the large tools they have are not attainable for most people and the price tag can be a barrier as well. I absolutely love teaching, my pupils are always inspiring me with their ideas and questions. I love nothing more than seeing my students face when they tie the final knot on their first book!

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Being a studio artist is both the easiest and hardest part of my life. I have continued to make my own work since I graduated from school- many of my classmates have amazing creative careers but are not ‘studio artists’ and no longer create art for the sake of art. I secretly wish I could operate that way but I seem to have some kind of internal drive to create what I want to create that I am unable to turn off. Many times in my life I have wished I could turn it off or redirected that drive into a more lucrative career but all attempts have failed.

So I have always worked in the service industry, bartending is lucrative and it paid my bills and gave me the time and flexibility to make my work. It hasn’t always been easy, until this year I never even had enough room to have a desk dedicated to my art- much less a studio! My advice to any young woman starting off her adult life is to reach out, ask for help, befriend other women in your industry. I am happy to see the attitude that other women are your ‘competition’ is dying out because we need to help each other out. There is room for more than one woman in any room, company, gallery or business. Challenge any space where this does not seem to be the attitude and call out places that do not listen.

We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
I am a creator of artist books, I also teach introductory bookbinding classes at Denver Art Society. I draw my inspiration from many sources. I spend much of the summer in the Rocky Mountains hiking and painting the stunning scenery that surrounds us here in Colorado. I also find inspiration from many academic fields including anthropology, geology, neurobiology, history, astronomy and physics.

I absolutely have an esthetic, I use very muted colors, use lots of natural materials and often use the same book form which is long and snakelike- it reminds me of staircases or strands of DNA. I have a deep admiration for the many ways cultures have stored information, wether that was with books or other non written technologies and pneumonic devices- which have led to my books being very ‘non traditional’. They are not readable, my works are drawing attention to the idea of a book without functioning as a book might typically function.

What’s the most important piece of advice you could give to a young woman just starting her career?
Reach out to other women and mentors! Generally people want to be helpful, they will freely give advice, tips and support. Other women, other people and in my case other artists are not your competition- be generous and generosity will return to you. Asking for help does not make you weak, you do not need to go it alone and when it is your turn pay it forward.

Pricing:

• Classes at Denver Art Society $15-$35, please RSVP on meetup.com or email info@robinsonfineart.com
• Bookbinding kits, materials and tools with written and video instructions. $40- $60 available at Denver Art Society, curbside drop off in the Denver/ Boulder area and by mail – email info@robinsonfineart.com
• Artworks $200-$800 available at Denver Art Society, or email info@robinsonfineart.com for a private studio tour

Contact Info:

• Address: Denver Art Society
  734 Santa Fe Drive
  Denver, CO 80204
• Website: Www.robinsonfineart.com
• Email: info@robinsonfineart.com
• Instagram: Robinson_fineart

Image Credit:
Myself, Cat Robinson and my husband Morgan Davies

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