Robin Hextrum

Blue Bird with Grapes and Tulips

2021

Robin Hextrum (born 1987) produces oil paintings that merge classical techniques with contemporary environmental discourse, creating works that examine luxury, consumption, and humanity's impact on the natural world. Raised in the coastal environment of Stinson Beach, California, she developed an environmental awareness that permeates her artistic vision, incorporating animals, plants, and climate imagery into complex allegorical compositions. Her academic training encompasses both artistic practice and theoretical study, with degrees including a double major in Fine Art and Neuroscience from USC, an MFA in painting from Laguna College of Art and Design specializing in representational work, and an MA in Modern and Contemporary Art History from UC Riverside. This comprehensive education allows her to draw connections between historical art movements and contemporary issues. Hextrum's paintings reference Dutch still life traditions, particularly the symbolic language of wealth and mortality found in vanitas works, while addressing modern environmental crises. She incorporates iconic elements like tulips, which reference the historical tulip mania bubble, alongside contemporary symbols of consumption and climate change. Her technique combines realistic rendering with abstract elements, creating visual tension that reflects thematic concerns about uncertainty and environmental instability. The artist's commitment to animal welfare and environmental advocacy extends beyond her art practice through her vegetarian lifestyle and support of organizations addressing factory farming and global poverty. This personal philosophy informs her artistic choice to present animals as empowered subjects rather than objects, challenging traditional hierarchies in visual representation. Hextrum serves as tenured professor and chair of the Visual Art Program at Regis University and has received support from The Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation and The Stobart Foundation. Her work is represented by select galleries across the United States including Abend Gallery, reflecting her position within contemporary representational painting discourse.