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May/June 2008 Cover Artist
Blooming Meditation

by Robin Urton

I think of my art as a journey into the landscape of my inner world. The process sometimes begins in confusion, as I am faced with a multitude of decisions of where to go and how to get there. Once I'm fully immersed in the process, however, it becomes a dreaming meditation. My mind becomes still, and finds its own answers. Through a free-association of images, I explore the connecting relationship between internal and external forces. References to the natural world, cultural archetypes and personal dreams exist simultaneously.

Creating art opens me to a sense of wonder about the world. I am attracted to the patterns of nature, the intimacy and non-rationality of dreams, and images that speak to the symbolic mind. While exploring the language of archetypal symbols, the paintings are worlds within themselves, open to personal interpretation. I share an affinity with surrealism, visionary art, and magic realism, but prefer no strict categories to describe what I do.

For the past decade, my primary technique has been to paint on layers of plexiglass. I usually paint on both sides of the glass, and often there are multiple layers. I particularly like the way that light and shadows affect the different layers. My hope is that the dimensional aspect of my art will invite viewers to become more interactive with the works. The paintings become an invitation into imaginative realms. The viewer completes the process through an openness to their own journey.

Robin Urton created Blooming Meditation on the cover of New Connexion. She is represented by Six Days Cooperative Gallery at 2724 NE Alberta St. in Portland. For details on summer classes and to see her art online, visit www.eyeconart.net or www.eyeconartist.etsy.com.