Robin Eckardt

“I was born on the Caribbean island of Puerto Rico where I spent the first ten years of my life. I think a vibrant childhood strongly influenced my outlook on the world, particularly in my depiction of colour and texture … both important aspects of my paintings today. I am very interested in the world and the environment around me and although my work is, to an extent, impressionistic, I also aim to capture the figurative and the very essence of reality. Consequently I’ve developed a style of contemporary painting that is quite textured and highlytactile with many layers of translucent glazes. My aim is to stimulate the viewer’s senses and imagination.

I have mainly painted cityscapes, skylines and landscapes from images I’ve found inspiring. I tend to choose the more obscure views for added interest … for example aerial views for perspective … or scenes involving movement … or have an interesting play on light, such as reflections.

My style lends itself to quite large canvases as this allows me to fully explore the boundaries of my highly varied and colourful palette of materials. I’ve always used mixed media in order to create work that is completely different and exciting yet aesthetically pleasing. I work in an energetic and instinctive way, which adds to the dynamics of the painting and my personal expression. Ultimately I aim to leave the viewer with a sense of emotion and experience.”