HINGHAM ARTIST ROBIN ROSS’ ABSTRACT PAINTINGS OF SEA LIFE DELIVER BRIGHT AND CHEERFUL BEACH VIBES.
By MARIA ALLEN
Photography by KJELD MAHONEY
It always feels like summertime in Robin Ross’ cozy Hingham art studio. Everywhere you look there are large-scale paintings of lobsters, crabs, oysters, and other sea creatures–each skillfully represented in bright blocks of hot pink, turquoise, navy and lime green paint.
“Everything about abstract art is intuitive,” says Ross, who loves when clients and community members use adjectives like ‘fun’ and ‘happy’ to describe her paintings. “That is exactly how I feel when I paint them,” she says.
Ross attributes much of her passion for painting ocean creatures to the many summers she spent on Cape Cod as a kid, strolling Chatham’s sandy shoreline and searching tidepools for seashells and other treasures. Always drawn to the arts, she earned a bachelor’s degree in Studio Art from the University of Vermont. However, when her parents encouraged her to pursue a more stable career path, she opted to become an elementary school teacher and allowed her artistic ambitions to take a backseat.
A Hingham resident for the last 20 years, Ross also dedicated her time to raising three children. It wasn’t until the summer after the pandemic that Ross decided to finally dip her toe back in the water by signing up for a pastel class. The feeling of positivity that came out of that experience ignited a creative spark inside her heart and set her on a path of creative experimentation and expression. Painting with pops of color filled her with a sense of joy and renewed purpose.
“Our family was going through some tough growing pains and things looked pretty gray,” says Ross. “Color made me feel light and hopeful and whenever I began a new canvas, bold color was what felt best.”
In the early days of her return to painting, Ross took a risk that would change everything: she created an Instagram page for her artwork and shared it with her friends and family. It was a choice that paid off. “One of my friends who worked at the local fitness center Proving Ground Studio saw my painting of a blue lobster and asked if I would put it up in her studio,” says Ross. “That was my first sale and it gave me the confidence to keep going.”
Ross has since become well known for her contemporary art pieces, which are anything but
bland. Using photographs as inspiration, she begins each painting with a thumbnail sketch to figure out a composition. She then uses a piece of chalk to
draw an outline on a canvas, which she uses as a guide when she begins painting. “I can’t say that I have a favorite design, but I love crustaceans,” says Ross. “I like sketching their segmented bodies.”
While most of Ross’ paintings showcase bright colors, some of her artwork features more muted tones, such as her oyster series. “I love the abstract nature of oysters,” she says. “They have great movement. No two oysters are ever the same.” She also enjoys working with clients to come up with custom ideas. Most recently she was commissioned by an interior designer in New Jersey to paint a series of lobster paintings for her home by the shore. “We spoke on the phone a few times and we came up with the concept of a lobster triptych in bright, bold colors that complemented her fabric choices,” says Ross. “She sent me fabric swatches and I came up with a palette that I sent for her approval.”
Creating art is both therapeutic and gratifying for Ross. “It makes me feel good and hopefully it makes someone else smile,” she says, standing at her easel and slowly moving her paintbrush across a canvas. She now has her work hanging locally at Doublemint Home in downtown Hingham and at Melange in Osterville.
“I have had so much local support as I have built my art business and that is something special,” she says. “It is scary to take a leap, but having a community cheer you along the way can make you feel invincible.”