Carol Robertson’s artwork remains deeply rooted in the simplistic conventions of abstract expressionism. She does not aim to depict or capture the appearance of the world, yet her pieces remain intrinsically connected to it. She maintains an informal bond with the landscape, architecture, nature, and the surrounding environment. While her current work still features familiar geometric shapes, notably circles, she has recently begun to deconstruct the circular form into arcs, hence exploring a more disruptive sense of asymmetry. Starting from 2005, all of her paintings are created using poured and stained bases, with multiple layers often being present. The atmospheric and unstructured color fields beautifully complement the meticulously drawn and over-painted shapes. Throughout her career, she has deliberately chosen to utilize the square, rectangle, and circle due to their powerful essence and aesthetically pleasing appearance.
“The potency and allure of geometric shapes and intricate details serve as my inspiration for creating art. Embracing the formal constraints of a reductive and often repetitive geometric language helps eliminate the chaos that would otherwise arise from the infinite visual options that exist. Geometry allows me to focus on the essentials, while retaining the freedom to convey sensory or poetic material through its refined parameters. Among the forms I use, the circle holds the most archetypal significance. It resonates universally and has been a common motif in art, architecture, and ritual – a symbol of the universe and the heavens; a representation of the journey inward or outward from the center; a symbol of wholeness, infinity, and completion; an unending continuous line without a definite beginning or end; the cycle everlasting.”
Living in the bustling metropolis of London, Carol Robertson is no stranger to the art world. As a former Research Fellow in Painting at the prestigious Cardiff School of Art & Design from 2003 to 2008, her talents have been widely recognized and showcased. The UK and Europe have both played host to her exhibitions, as have Japan and the United States. For the past two decades, she has returned as a Fellow to the esteemed Ballinglen Arts Foundation in Ireland. In a groundbreaking move, Robertson explored the realm of three-dimensional art during her 2012 residency at the Kunstgarten in Graz. However, her creativity is not limited to one medium, as she has also carved a niche for herself as a prolific printmaker. In 2015, her series of monoprints, entitled Copán, was birthed from her transformative journey to Central America. Such dedication to her craft and ability to constantly push the boundaries of her artistry led to her being inducted as an Academician by the prestigious Royal West of England Academy in 2018.
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