Robin Hextrum is an award-winning contemporary painter who lives and works in Denver. She grew up in a small coastal town in Northern California where she developed a passion for the natural environment that continues to inform her paintings. During her undergraduate studies at USC, she completed a double major in Fine Art and Neuroscience and studied with renowned artists including Ruth Weisberg and Ron Rizk. She then received her MFA in painting from Laguna College of Art and Design where she worked with some of the top representational painters in the country. Following her MFA, Robin completed a second master’s degree in art history at UC Riverside. Her paintings represent a fusion of her traditional art training and her knowledge of art history. Robin is currently a tenured professor and chair of the Visual Art Program at Regis University. She has exhibited her paintings internationally and is the recipient of prestigious grants from The Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation and The Stobart Foundation. Art critic Ray Mark Rinaldi notes that Hextrum’s work “manages 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.