“My painting philosophy is a mixture of traditional and
contemporary ideas. Stylistically, influences include Edward
Hopper, Fairfield Porter, Richard Diebenkorn, Neil Welliver, Wayne
Thiebaud, Andy Warhol, and Robert Indiana. I have a fondness
for the traditional methods and processes of the Old Masters
and the impressionists, and for the ideas and imagery of pop art.
I am influenced by popular culture and its associated imagery,
which I balance with my interest in the physical and psychological
effects of our human presence in the natural world. Recent
explorations with digital imaging and image manipulation, as well
as a budding interest in inter-media art-making possibilities have
broadened my understanding of the various modes of expression
that are available to me. Though I continue to identify myself as
a painter, by combining these disparate elements of old and new,
I can make paintings that remain visually accessible to a wide
range of viewers and feel relevant to me as I explore my own
ideas about color, shape, line, form, and our underlying shared
cultural and regional experiences.” ~ Robert Colburn
Painter Robert Colburn was born and raised only a short
distance from his current home in the small town of Boothbay
Harbor, Maine. Born to a fashion illustrator and a merchant
mariner, and having two grandparents who were artists for The
New Yorker magazine, he was exposed to art at an early age.
While attending Bowdoin College (Brunswick, Maine), he was
fortunate to study with the painters Thomas Cornell, N.A., Ann
Lofquist, Anne Harris, and Jim Phalen, and early on decided to
pursue art as a career.
Believing that a painting goes beyond the image, and that
quality is reflected as much in the materials used as in the style
or technique used, Colburn spent a year in Seattle, Washington,
working for the Daniel Smith Art Supply company. There he came
to understand how oil, acrylic, and watercolor paints were made,
and how their material composition contributes to each color’s
having unique characteristics when applied to a canvas or paper.
Colburn’s work has been included in numerous exhibitions
throughout Maine and Massachusetts. The artist lives and works
in Damariscotta, Maine.
Website
http://www.robertcolburn.com
