Robin Ghelerter O’Connell

Robin Ghelerter O’Connell
Santa Monica, California, USA

STATEMENT

I see collage as capturing the small moments of life. My work explores the randomness in the paths we choose and where that destiny leads us. It’s the scraps and fragments of things put together to express emotions past, present, and future. By combining the ordered repetition of pattern with looser hand-printed papers and everyday elements, I create a contrast between control and spontaneity. My mind thinks in cut-out shapes. Attention is given not only to the papers glued but to the areas created by the negative space surrounding them—always looking for a life in balance. Titles for my works are part of the piecing together of ideas, and often the words come before the visual exploration begins.

BIO

Robin Ghelerter O’Connell grew up in Jacksonville, Florida, where her love of pattern and color began while flipping through upholstery fabric sample books, in awe of their beautiful colorways. Her earliest collage experiences involved covering coffee cans and boxes with magazine images, transforming functional objects into decorative ones.

While completing her BFA at Florida State University, she discovered the Pattern and Decoration movement of the 1970s, a pivotal influence that led her to incorporate collage, pattern, and ephemera into her paintings. She moved to Los Angeles in 1980 and began exhibiting in group and two-person shows; was represented by Williams Lamb Gallery in Long Beach, California, from 1987 until its closure in 1993; created editorial illustrations; and worked as a graphic designer, opening her design studio in 1994.

A re-emerging artist, O’Connell currently creates decorative papers and painterly prints that she juxtaposes with found materials, including vintage illustrations, playing cards, children’s games, and pages from books. Her multimedia works utilize bold color, simplicity of form, and flatness in a graphic style that lends itself to visual storytelling. She lives and works in Santa Monica, California.

ARTIST CONTACT

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IMAGES