Two Rivers
Michael Robert Robinson (Canadian, 1948-2010)
Anemone Vase
glass
6 ½” long x 2 3/8” wide x 5 ¼” high
Condition: Antique, Excellent
For Accuracy: light shelf wear, as expected on any vintage vase. There are a couple of internal cracks to the applied frills – note these are not damage but result of the process. It is an unusual and desirable Robinson vase. See photographs.
Biography: Michael Robert Robinson was a painter, printmaker, glass-bower and poet of Cree descent. He was born in 1948 in Timmins, Ontario, Canada. Robinson graduated in 1972 from Sheridan College’s School of Design, majoring in Glass. Throughout the 1970s, he was at the forefront of the Canadian glass movement; his ability to use multiple techniques allowed him to create unique works. By the mid-1980s, Robinson was forced to shift mediums due to injuries sustained from a traffic accident; be began making drawings, paintings and prints.
Robinson’s work represented a merging of both traditional and contemporary Indigenous art. While his glass work was modern, his printmaking and illustrations were traditional in style. Robinson exhibited widely throughout Canada, the United States, Switzerland, and Germany. He received several national and provincial awards and his work is held in public and private collections around the world. Robinson died on July 28, 2010 in Peterborough, Ontario
Selected Exhibitions: 2002 The Guild Shop, Toronto, ON; 2002 Gallery Gervik, Toronto, ON; 2001 Galerie in Alten Kloster, Koln, Germany; 2000 Hettmann Studio, Manitoulin Island, Ontario; 2000 Gallery Phillip, Toronto, Ontario; 1999 Gallery Indigena, Stratford, Ontario; 1999 Gallery Phillip, Toronto, Ontario; 1998 McMichael Canadian Collection, Kleinburg, Ontario; 1998 Gallery Indigena, Stratford, Ontario; 1998 Spirit of the Sun, Arizona, U.S.A; 1997 Ottawa School of Art, Ottawa, Ontario; 1997 Rail’s End Gallery, Haliburton, Ontario; 1996 Canada House, Banff, Alberta; 1995 Canadian Guild of Crafts, Montreal, Quebec; 1993 Karlyn’s Gallery, Wisconsin, United States; 1993 Galeries Sedunoises, Sion, Switzerland; 1993 Canadian Museum of Civilization, Gatineau, Quebec; 1992 Bancroft Art Gallery, Bancroft, Ontario; 1992 Kasheese Studio, West Bay, Ontario; 1992 Chapel Gallery, Bracebridge, Ontario; 1991 Ojibwe Cultural Foundation, West Bay, Ontario; 1990 American Indian Archeological Institute, Washington, United States; 1990 Hudson Museum, Maine, United States; 1990 Holoyoke Museum, Massachusetts, United States; 1990 North Bay Arts Centre, North Bay, Ontario; 1990 McMichael Canadian Art Collection, Kleinburg, Ontario
Permanent Collections: Canada Council Art Bank, Ottawa, Ontario; Canadian Museum of Civilization, Gatineau, Quebec; Glenbow Art Institute, Calgary, Alberta; McMichael Canadian Art Collection, Kleinburg. Ontario; Museum of Anthropology, Denver, Colorado; Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, Ontario; Thunder Bay Art Gallery, Thunder, Ontario
Books of Poetry: Freedom or Silence, 1988, SEN 0-9692185-24; The Earth and The Dancing Man, 1991., ISBN 0-9695225-0-9; Touching The Serpents Tale 1992. ISEN 0-9695225-1-7; A Bird Within a Ring of Fire 1998. ISBN 0-9695225-33
Artist Specialization: Painter, printmaker, glassblower and poet – Along with the story of time and its impact on the land and its occupants, Michael’s inspiration for his art is drawn from his spiritual beliefs. Making people aware of the world around them he believes is the only hope for the future. He also sees as so many a need for global balance. It is important that we see the Earth as a living entity – only then can we understand where we fit. Robinson juxtaposed images to create fragments of time, taking the viewer on an immense journey without a beginning or an end. Surreal landscapes come alive and the human realm is metamorphosed into the animal and the spiritual ones. For an incredibly insightful, step by step guide to making a print through the etching process, see Michael Robinson’s post on his archived website here: https://web.archive.org/web/20180813080056/http://michaelrobinson.ca/process.html
