Robin Hextrum – Artist Biography Robin Hextrum creates contemporary oil paintings that examine humanity's relationship with the natural world through environmental and animal advocacy themes. Born in 1987, she developed her environmental consciousness growing up in Stinson Beach, a small Northern California coastal town where she engaged in surfing, hiking, and kayaking activities that fostered her connection to nature. Hextrum earned a double major in Fine Art and Neuroscience from USC, where she studied with artists Ruth Weisberg and Ron Rizk while participating in the marching band and women's rowing team. She subsequently received her MFA in painting from Laguna College of Art and Design, focusing on representational techniques, followed by a second master's degree in Modern and Contemporary Art History from UC Riverside. Her paintings merge traditional Dutch still life iconography with contemporary environmental concerns, incorporating oversized tulips, fruit, and animals alongside melting icebergs to address climate change and consumption culture. The work references vanitas traditions while questioning contemporary values around luxury and nature. Hextrum employs both realistic and abstract elements, drawing from movements including Dutch Golden Age painting, surrealism, the Leipzig school, and abstract expressionism. Currently serving as tenured professor and chair of the Visual Art Program at Regis University in Colorado, Hextrum has received grants from The Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation and The Stobart Foundation. Her work has been exhibited internationally and is represented by select galleries across the United States including Abend Gallery. Art critic Ray Mark Rinaldi describes her paintings as managing to be "romantic and mathematical all at once." Artist Statement I make unique contemporary paintings that do not shy away from beauty. I strive to create striking imagery that can resonate with a wide audience. And, I also want my paintings to hold something complex and engaging for viewers who have a high degree of visual literacy. My work is also sincere. Though I enjoy most forms of traditional and contemporary art, I do not have patience for art that is too disinterested, overly ironic, or insincere. I love art that comes from a deep personal source and meets the viewer with honesty and urgency. The through line in all my work is a concern for animals and the environment. In some series, I explore the subjectivity of animals, helping center their lived experience and autonomy. Other works delve into the existential threat of climate change and use art as a means of processing the daunting future ahead of us if we do not change our actions. Many of my paintings reference various art historical styles including 17th century Dutch still life, surrealism, the Leipzig school, and 20th century abstract expressionism. I use strategies and motifs from these periods to highlight environmental issues. I am a big proponent of learning all the rules so you can break them in interesting ways. I studied traditional approaches to oil painting, and I also love contemporary art. Depending on the purpose of the work, I may find that incorporating experimental painterly approaches adds to the thematic content. Yet in others, I believe using a more traditional approach helps bring my message to life. I am always exploring new ideas and challenging myself as an artist. I aim to have a lifelong artistic practice of continued growth and experimentation.