ROBINSON continued from 22
“ I know some of the best painters in the country, and they’ ve all painted dogs,” he said, with a warm chuckle.“ They might not admit it, but they have.”
Robinson said those failed pieces are enough to deter some people from continuing to pursue painting altogether. But life is rarely perfect, so he doesn’ t see why art should be any different.
“ A lot of times, we’ re all just learning— learning what not to do as much as anything,” Robinson said.
Rick Kelley, president of the Nashville-based Indiana Heritage Arts, said though Robinson is an“ extremely good” painter, no one works harder than he does to continually improve.
But what really makes Robinson’ s work stand out, Kelley said, is the fact that he paints not from twodimensional photographs, but rather from seeing the light, shadows and colors perfectly, outside with his own eyes.
Robinson works outdoors because he likes the atmosphere as much as he likes to paint. He said spending hours driving, hiking, or canoeing in search of scenes that beckon for a few hours of his study is half the fun.
Open Year-Round
Mon.– Sat. 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM
Sun. Noon to 5:00 PM
Established in 1926, Brown County’ s original art gallery offers for sale artwork by contemporary artists and consigned early Indiana art. Selections from the Permanent Collections are also on display.
Every finished painting reminds him of the people and stories that accompanied it, Robinson said, grinning and scratching his head through the faded red hat a friend bought him for his birthday last year while they painted together in Utah. One woman recently asked for his credentials before granting permission to paint on her property. Another elderly gentleman misunderstood what Robinson meant in requesting to paint his barn. He asked, puzzled, how Robinson planned to paint his barn without any kind of ladders. Robinson’ s vehicle always can be found hauling painting equipment in light-weight, self-crafted cases that enable him to trek up a stream or into a tractor graveyard on a moment’ s notice. The wooden boxes are unlike any found in stores. Robinson has worked as a tool and dye machinist since leaving the Navy in his early 20s. He is quick to clarify that tooling never was a career that supported painting as a hobby; rather, it was the hobby that made possible a lifelong career as a painter.
At 57, Robinson humbly supposes his career is at a high point.
“ I’ m getting invited to a lot of national shows and paint-outs, so I must be getting better,” he said, with a smiling shrug.“ But I’ d be a lot further with my painting if it weren’ t for the cabin.”
Finally moving to Brown County will bring a longawaited dream to fruition. Robinson joked that T. C. Steele moved to the area when he was 60 years old, so his goal always has been to beat that.
The community just fits him— slow-paced and teeming with fellow artists who speak his language. Robinson said it’ s a place that breeds creativity, between the people and the landscape. He eagerly awaits spending evenings in the cabin he soon will call home— sipping wine in front of a wood stove, sharing stories with friends.
With the achievement of moving to Brown County in sight, Robinson said he supposes after that he’ ll“ just keep painting and traveling.” He can’ t imagine retirement.“ I’ ll paint‘ til I’ m gone,” he said, laughing.“ I have a lot of places I still want to paint, but I’ ll always end up back here.”
You can find Thom’ s work at the Brown County Art Gallery and the Brown County Art Guild and through his website < tcrobinson. com >. You can contact him via e-mail at < thom @ tcrobinson. com >, reach him through Facebook, or call him at( 812) 329-9410. •
24 Our Brown County • May / June 2014