Richard Robinson
Artist
Richard J. Robinson approaches art as an intimate form of self-reflection—believing that every work, regardless of subject, reveals something of the artist’s inner landscape. For Robinson, color, composition, and the emotional resonance of form matter far more than the object portrayed. Whether he’s rendering a pair of salt and pepper shakers or capturing the soulful weight of a bulldog’s face, he aims to communicate presence, personality, and a quiet sense of story through painterly nuance.
Robinson studied fine art at Shasta College, Humboldt State University, and Chico State University, where he earned his B.A. in Fine Arts in 1979. His artistic philosophy was shaped by influential teachers and by the work of California painter Wayne Thiebaud, whose vibrant depictions of everyday objects affirmed Robinson’s belief that meaning in art arises not from subject matter, but from how the artist chooses to see.
His practice is defined by a distinctive method of “painting with paper” and hand-applied mediums. Robinson works with claybord, soft pastel, and hand-colored papers that he cuts, layers, and glazes with clear acrylic—applying every final pass with his fingers rather than brushes. The result is a richly tactile surface that merges collage, drawing, and painting into a unified representational style. His pieces balance clarity with texture, inviting viewers to step closer, to look longer, and to experience familiar objects anew.
Robinson’s work has been exhibited throughout Chico, where he values the simple act of someone pausing to look. For him, art thrives in these quiet moments of connection—moments when color, form, or composition draws a viewer into reflection.
Ever evolving, Robinson embraces the unpredictable nature of making art. Some works succeed effortlessly; others fall away. Yet he sees this as essential to the creative process. Each piece is an experiment, a discovery, and an opportunity to reach for something higher.
“With art, you can always go higher,” he says. “There’s always something new waiting to be discovered.”
Website: https://chicoosat.com/artists/richard-j-robinson/
News: https://www.chicoer.com/2016/10/22/richard-robinsons-paintings-on-display-at-upper-crust-bakery/