For Colorado-based artist Remington Robinson, working outside on a smaller scale—a lot smaller—was the important thing to creative success and inventive achievement.
By Amy Leibrock
This text initially appeared within the July/August challenge of Artists Journal. Learn the complete challenge HERE.
From illuminated manuscripts to ships in bottles to dollhouses, individuals have been captivated for hundreds of years by tiny issues and the talent it takes to create one thing at a small scale. At the moment’s social media public isn’t any completely different. Take artist Remington Robinson. His miniature oil work, which he paints on panels minimize to suit on the within lids of Altoids mint packing containers, have attracted the eye of greater than half one million followers on Instagram and TikTok.
Robinson captures vistas close to his residence in Boulder, Colo., in addition to scenes from world travels along with his accomplice. His on a regular basis slice-of-life scenes—from espresso outlets to mountaintops—are rendered realistically and created en plein air with a painterly contact. He mixes his oils proper within the field and leaves them there to dry when he’s performed. The result’s one thing each trendy and nostalgic, a second captured in time with the artist’s palette left behind, nearly like fingerprints.
Robinson shares quick, start-to-finish movies, narrating his methodology for distilling a sweeping mountain vista onto a wooden panel smaller than a enjoying card. He makes it look simple, and he hopes his examples may encourage even novice painters to offer portray a strive. He has a guide popping out this summer season from Walter Foster Publishing, titled Mini Plein Air Portray with Remington Robinson, which can give artists of any degree insights and suggestions for portray their very own mint-box art work.
Robinson stresses that he didn’t invent the concept of utilizing a mint field as a tiny en plein air portray equipment. He gave it a strive after assembly Heidi Annalise, one other Colorado artist who was already doing it. Not wanting to repeat her concept, he requested if she’d thoughts if he tried it. She mentioned certain—she didn’t personal the idea. The truth is, she’d picked up the concept from one more artist.
Impressed by Nature
When Robinson goes out to color, he likes to have a unfastened concept of a topic in thoughts, like an autumn tree or a coffee-inspired nonetheless life at an area café. “Typically I get impressed by one other artist’s work or see one thing on Instagram or in {a magazine}, and I feel I do know a spot the place I might do one thing like that,” he says. Different days, he’ll problem himself to make use of a selected coloration palette, like inexperienced and white, and can search for a topic that meets these particular situations.
Robinson says topics that work effectively on a small scale are graphic, with plenty of huge shapes or areas of coloration. He doesn’t utterly keep away from extra detailed or busy topics, however they do take him longer to color. He works from life almost 100% of the time. “It’s simply so significantly better, since you see extra along with your eye than your iPhone can see,” he says.
As soon as he chooses the topic, Robinson develops a composition after which begins by giving construction to the fundamental types. Typically, he does this by overlaying the entire floor with a wash of mineral spirits combined with slightly pigment. He cleans and dries his brush and lifts out pigment to ascertain the lighter values, then provides darker pigment for darkish values. Different instances he’ll do a fast pencil sketch to ascertain the composition, particulars and values, particularly for a scene that options structure.
“Once I was first beginning out,” says Robinson, “I simply needed to start out detailing it. I needed it to look good with out having any concept in regards to the construction beneath.” The tip end result would look “scrunched,” he says, as a result of he hadn’t taken the time to ascertain the general framework.
With these fundamentals established, the artist blocks in giant shapes and tweaks the colour nuance of these shapes; provides some mid-size shapes; after which paints the ultimate particulars. He makes use of bigger brushes so long as potential earlier than transferring to smaller and smaller brushes because the portray progresses.
Peace By Portray
Robinson’s artwork and up to date social media reputation have introduced him some thrilling alternatives with main manufacturers and celebrities. These platforms join him instantly with clients, and he sells his completed works on his web site. The items come within the field with the palette and a small wood block affixed to the again to prop it open for show.
Most significantly, Robinson will get satisfaction from inspiring others to get out in nature and take a look at portray. He proudly tells the story of a faculty pupil who stopped him mid-painting to inform him how his work impressed his mom to get again into making artwork after 20 years of elevating youngsters. “It’s a straightforward entry level,” says Robinson. “All the provides might add as much as about 20 bucks. You don’t want a ton of colours. You may simply get the three primaries and a white.”
For Robinson, his artwork follow is, in some ways, a type of meditation. “Once I’m portray, I’m concentrating on the topic, and the remainder of the world can fall away,” he says. “It’s one of the therapeutic issues.” And, if it may be therapeutic for him personally, he hopes these advantages can develop outwardly as effectively. “If I can encourage individuals to get into meditation by means of portray, possibly it is going to assist world peace or one thing. That’s type of corny, however I prefer to assume it’s potential.”
A Compact Equipment
Robinson painted his first mint-tin portray in 2017. Through the years, he has perfected a compact portray equipment that matches inside a fanny pack. In it, you’ll discover a zippered pencil case with elastic holders for brushes and some sheets of thick Viva-brand paper towels. He additionally brings a mint container with a wooden panel already affixed into the lid with squares of skinny Velcro.
For paint, he’ll carry a tube of white and some colours. “If you happen to’re making an attempt to be minimal, you don’t even have to carry the tubes with you so long as your palette has been within the tin two days upfront so it doesn’t slide round,” says Robinson. He makes use of oils most frequently however sometimes makes use of Golden Open slow-drying acrylics. “They dry quicker than oil however nonetheless gradual sufficient to have the ability to mix,” he says.
As for brushes, Robinson likes the Princeton Aspen Collection of oil portray brushes, and makes use of ½- and ¼-inch flats, a spherical brush with a diameter in regards to the dimension of a chop stick and a wide range of smaller Princeton Velvetouch brushes for element.
Robinson additionally brings 5 small (¼-ounce and ½-ounce) containers of odorless mineral spirits. To maintain them from spilling, he wedges them right into a small wooden block with a gap drilled in it that matches the containers.
Typically he brings a light-weight tenting chair. If he desires to report a video of his course of, he additionally carries a small tripod with versatile legs that he attaches to the strap of his backpack or fanny pack.
In chilly climate, he recommends gloves (these metallic packing containers get chilly!). He additionally made himself slightly wood holder with magnets to carry the packing containers, hands-free, on actually chilly days.
As for the place he will get all of the mint packing containers? Mockingly, he says he nearly by no means eats mints. He buys the empty packing containers in bulk on eBay, and a few individuals have kindly donated packing containers to him.
Concerning the Writer
Amy Leibrock is a Cincinnati-based author and editor, and a daily contributor to the Artists Community group of magazines.
Concerning the Artist
Remington Robinson grew up in Chagrin Falls, Ohio, in a household of creatives. He now lives in Colorado, the place he studied artwork on the College of Colorado Boulder, and on the Rocky Mountain School of Artwork and Design. He has made artwork on each a big scale, engaged on various murals and public artwork tasks, and on a small scale. Robinson’s tiny mint-box oil work, painted en plein air, have captivated collectors and art-loving audiences on Instagram and on TikTok. The artist finds inspiration in lots of topics and lots of areas, drawing on the mountainous panorama of Colorado in addition to neighborhood spots and scenic views throughout the globe.