Biography
Fiona Robinson studied at North Western Polytechnic London (now London Metropolitan University), Oxford Brooks University, BA Fine Art and History of Art and the University of Portsmouth, MA Fine Art Painting. She is an elected Academician of the Royal West of England Academy. Abstract interpretations of landscape and memory are two constant concerns in work which weaves together influences from music, literature and place.
In 2012 she was shortlisted for the Jerwood Drawing Prize and in 2011 she won the Excellence in Drawing Prize at the Royal West of England Academy. In 2007 she won the University of Bath Painting Prize, was a prizewinner in the 4th International Drawing Biennale in Australia. In 2009 she was a finalist in the Milton Keynes Painting Prize and in 2006 was Highly Commended for the the Brabcombe Award at Ale and Porter Arts. She completed a two month Fellowship at the Ballinglen Arts Foundation in Co. Mayo, Rep. of Ireland in 2010 and work from that Fellowship was exhibited at Masters and Pelavin, New York, in May 2011. She is Writer in Residence for Evolver Magazine and writes a regular article about an artist of her choice in Writings on Art. She exhibits with Novella Baroni and Flavio Gianassi at Jean Luc Baroni, London; Masters and Pelavin, New York; Kelly Ross Fine Art at The Art Stable, Blandford and Rabley Contemporary in Marlborough.
‘Fiona Robinson achieves artistic communication though exquisite layering and control of line, tone and colour. Coloured surfaces are reminiscent of minerals, sea and sky; drawings executed on the gentlest of tonal surfaces are more map-like. Both are laid down as part of an inherent, improvised inter-play between the material, the recalled and existential. Ultimately, as finely resolved artworks, they have a rare purity and elegance.’
Jem Main – Director, The Study Gallery of Modern Art, Poole
Extract from From a Review in Art Cornwall, 2008.
Curriculum Vitae
Born Springfield Worcestershire UK
Education
1997 MA Fine Art. University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth
1989 BA Hons. Fine Art and History of Art. Oxford Brooks University, Oxford
1970 ALA Dip. Lib. North Western Polytechnic, London
Prizes and Awards
2013 Elected Academician of The Royal West of England Academy, Bristol
2011 Excellence in Drawing Prize at the 159th Open Exhibition, Royal West of England Academy, Bristol
2010 Fellowship, Ballinglen Arts Foundation. Co Mayo Ireland. Bursary
2007 Prizewinner 4th International Biennial of Drawing Melbourne, AUS .
2007 Winner of the University of Bath Painting Prize
2007 Proof 2007 Writing Prize
2006 The Brabcombe Award, Ale & Porter Arts, Bath. Highly Commended
One Person Exhibitions
2013 A Significant Curve, High Cross House, Dartington, National Trust
2012 Parallel Lines of Enquiry The Allsop Gallery Bridport
2008 The Circular Walk Drawings The Study Gallery of Modern Art, Poole.
2008 The Journey Sequence 2007 Lighthouse Centre for the Arts, Poole.,
2007 Definitions of Drawing New Greenham Arts. Greenham
2001 Found Remains New Greenham Arts. Greenham
2000 Exquisite Residues Havant Arts Centre, Portsmouth.
1998 Postcards Home Corn Exchange Newbury
1997 Fragments Watermill Theatre Bagnor
1995 Paper Dreams Corn Exchange, Newbury.
1994 Colour and Form Arts Workshop, Newbury
1993 Form Rising Sun Institute, Reading.
Selected Group Exhibitions
2013 From Surface to Structure, curated by Novella Baroni and Flavio Gianassi at Jean Luc Baroni, London
Tetra, Atkinson Gallery Somerset
Drawn, Open Royal West of England Academy, Bristol
Anonyme Zeichner Kunstverein Tiergarten, Berlin and Tour.
2nd Drawing Exhibition The Allsop Gallery Bridport
2012 Jerwood Drawing Prize Shortlisted Artists Exhibition Jerwood Space London and Tour
Drawn to Nature. Rabley Contemporary Drawing Centre Marlborough
Fellows Exhibition Ballinglen Arts Foundation, Co. Mayo
Millfield Open Exhibition, Atkinson Gallery Somerset
2011 A Field Guide to Getting Lost. Masters and Pelavin, New York
Sketch Drawing Prize. Shortlisted Artists Rabley ContemporaryDrawing Centre, Marlborough
159th Royal West of England Academy Exhibition Bristol Prizewinner
Uncharted Landscapes Newlyn Society of Artists., St Ives
Millfield Open Exhibition, Atkinson Gallery, Somerset.
2010 Hambledon Hill Kelly Ross Fine Art at The Art Stable, Blandford
Affordable Art Fair London with Murphy Machin Art
Anonyme Zeichner. Kunstraum Kreuzberg, Berlin
2009 The Northern Art Show, Harrogate, with Murphy Machin Art
World Gallery of Drawings, Skopje, Macedonia
FringeMK Milton Keynes Annual Painting Prize Finalist
Drawn In. Open Exhibition Sidcot Art Centre Devon
Affordable Art Fair London with Murphy Machin Art
Lineweight International Open exhibition curated by Aaron Fine. Truman State University
Missouri, USA
Transition Curated by Rita Parente of Submittogravity at
Exeter Artspace, Rougement Castle, and The Bargehouse, London
Drawing Room II. Curated by Graham Woodruff. Royal West of England Academy. Bristol
Illusions of Space. The Brewhouse, Taunton. Three person show.
2009 – 05 153rd – 157th Royal West of England Academy Autumn Exhibition, Bristol
2008 Muse Edgar Modern, Bath
Kosovo International Drawing Biennale, Invited Artist. Kosova Art Gallery, Prishtina. Kosova
Trig Point. The Study Gallery of Modern Art, Poole
Drawing Matters. Bristol Drawing School, Bristol
2007/08 Art Loan Collection Exhibition, 2007/8 Bournemouth University
2007 4th International Drawing Biennale Melbourne, Australia. Prizewinner
Benalla Regional Gallery, Victoria, Australia.
Steps Gallery, Melbourne, Australia
University of Bath Painting Prize Exhibition, Bath. First Prize
2006 Vth International Biennial of Drawing Pilsen 2006. Czech Rep.
Trace Gallery, Dorset
Ale and Porter Open Exhibition, Bradford Upon Avon. Award winner
2005 Sketch 2005, Rabley Drawing Centre, Marlborough and Seven Seven, London.
Environmental, Open Stroud House Gallery, Stroud
Millfield Open, Atkinson Gallery, Somerset.
Black Swan Arts Open Competition, Frome
2004 The Indigo Arts Prize, Liverpool. Finalist
2003 ’02 ‘01 Maltby Contemporary Art, Winchester.
2002 Artifacts Dorset County Museum, Dorchester
Fresh Art. London Business Design Centre. ‘
Europ’Art’.Espace Auteuil, Paris France
2001 ’00 ’99 Beatrice Royal Gallery, Southampton
1999 Open Exhibition Burton Museum and Art Gallery, Devon.
‘Northcurrent’. Watermans, London.
Museet I Varberg, Sweden.
Gedokhaus, Lubeck, Germany.
1998 Cheltenham (Jerwood) Drawing Prize, Shortlisted Artists Exhibition, Cheltenham and
Kunstlerwerkstatt Banhof Westend, Berlin.
Viewpoints Open ARTSWAY, Sway. ‘
Landmark ‘98’ curated by Carolan Price Atrium Gallery, Bournemouth University.
1995 Regional II Open Le Chat Noir Gallery, Albemarle Street, London.
Curated Projects
2011 The Frost Drawing Project curated by Emmy Mathis The Frost Museum, Miami
GOSH Project curated by AXIS. Unstable Horizon Drawings Digital Projection on 42 inch screens
Ocean Floor, Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children, London
2010 The Travelling Moleskine curated by AXIS. Film
Residencies
2012 Residency, The Cill Rialaig Project, Kerry, Rep. of Ireland
2010 Fellowship Ballinglen Arts Foundation, Co. Mayo, Rep. of Ireland
2010 Residency, The Cill Rialaig Project, Kerry, Rep. of Ireland
2008 Residency, The Cill Rialaig Project, Kerry, Rep. of Ireland
1999 Residency Brisons Veor, Cape Cornwall.
Works in Public Collections
University of Bath, UK
Polish Art Foundation, Melbourne, Australia.
Kunstraum Kreuzberg, Berlin, Germany
Bournemouth University Art Loan Collection 2007/08, UK
The Cill Rialaig Project Collection, Dublin Rep. of Ireland
World Gallery of Drawings, Skopje, Macedonia
Ballinglen Arts Foundation, Co. Mayo, Rep. of Ireland
The Golder Thompson Collection of Works on Paper
The Royal West of England Academy, Bristol
Selected Bibliography
The Art of Walking by David Evans. Black Dog Press, 2013
Article Fiona Robinson a different line of enquiry by Jem Main. Evolver Magazine Issue 70 July/Aug 2012
Review Fiona Robinson: Parallel Lines of Enquiry by Jem Main. Abstraktion.org
Parallel Lines of Enquiry Exhbition Catalogue. Kate Jago and Polly Gifford
Illusions of Space, exhibition catalogue by Kate Jago
Review: A Line of Force: Fiona Robinson, Pennie Elfick, George Meyrick
The Brewhouse Gallery, Taunton by Kate Jago. Art Cornwall May 2009
Review: Extracts from the Journey Sequence. by Jem Main, Art Cornwall, June 2008
Circular Walk Drawings featured in Criticaldictionary.com 17 edited by David Evans, Bournemouth University
Kosovo International Drawing Biennale, 2008. Exhibition Catalogue
Fiona Robinson [extracts from] The Journey Sequence, essay by Sian Bonnell. 2007.
Review. Definitions of Drawing. Gavin Wilkinson. Newbury Weekly News, 25/10/07
4th International Drawing Bienale, Melbourne, 2007. Exhibition Catalogue.
Bournemouth University Art Loan Collection 2007/08. Exhibition Catalogue.
Catalogue Vth International Drawing Biennial, Pilson, 2006. Czech Republic, 2006
Front Cover, Evolver Magazine 36 Nov./Dec. 2006.
Twenty Two Drawings featured in TRACEY The Journal for Contemporary Drawing Research. Loughborough University September 2006.
Review Found Remains, New Greenham Arts Debbie MacGregor. NWN 14/06/01
Review ‘Dance Connection II’ New Greenham Arts Pat Eastop. NWN 22/03/01
Northcurrent. Exhibition Catalogue. Watermans, London, 1999.
Viewpoints. Catalogue with Essay by Rosalind Vall. ARTSWAY, Sway, 1998
Landmark ’98. Atrium Gallery, Bournemouth University. Exhibition Catalogue, 1998
Review Solo exhibition Corn Exchange Newbury by Natalie Dowse.NWN 07/05/98
Review Fragments, Watermill Theatre, Bagnor by Gavin Wilkinson.NWN 06/05/97
Review Solo exhibition Corn Exchange Newbury Margaret Hodges.NWN 15/06/95
Review Colour + Form Arts Workshop, Newbury Margaret Hodges.NWN 03/03/94
Review Form The Rising Sun Institute, Reading Caroline Waite. NWN 21/10/93
Website: www.fionarobinson.com
Studio Blog. http://blankspacebooks.wordpress.com
Writing on Artists http://fionarobinsonwritings.wordpress.com
