Vicki Ann Robinson

CUTOUTS is an extension of the M.O.H.M.O.N. series, where I began to take found text and symbol images and incorporate them in my paintings. I’ve gone one step further here as I add wood cut-out pieces to create another effect.

M.O.H.M.O.N. (Marks of Humans, Marks of Nature) derives from two elements: first, a combination of attraction, revulsion and fascination with the markings of humans. Why do I dislike graffiti, and yet love Anasazi petroglyphs? How can I dislike defacement of walls, when I enjoy etchings of initials on a Medieval wall? Graffiti is everywhere. The other elements derive from a fascination with shapes in nature – water with light, etched sandstone, shadows and light. Even if the images last a moment, they are some of the most beautiful images to me that continue, unchanging over time. In a way these shapes become an “anecdote” for our human marks. At the same time, they each have their own form of grace, and so I seek to hold them both.

This first series is done in pastel; Signs and Symbols are oil paintings.

These smaller paintings are a continuation of the MOHMON symbols, with added 3D text elements. The text derives from many collected images; from Roman tombstones to German contemporary graffiti.

I’ve been working with vessel and ocular images—boats, leaves and containers—for over 20 years. I began with canoe images and the forms continued to morph into their own references.

To me, vessels are all possibilities. The container is such a female image, that which holds and protects. I love the fact that vessels are not so much about the content but the context of holding.