John Paul Robinson

Probability B

2014

Canadian artist and glassblower John Paul Robinson uses his medium to explore nature and mythological beliefs as well as the knowledge we've gained about the world owing to scientific discovery. His striking sculptures are frequently characterized by flat forms that take on the appearance of feathers or rods of translucent glass that are manipulated into wave shapes and spiral patterns. Robinson’s works can be hung on walls or suspended from ceilings by way of stainless steel mounting brackets.

Born in 1954, in Toronto, Robinson attended the Georgian College of Arts and Technology and also the Ontario College of Art — now the Ontario College of Art and Design. He went on to teach at the latter for many years. 

Robinson is a self-taught glassblower. “There are hours of tedium doing it over and over,” he told WheatonArts of his craft. “I have to accept the tedium. The advantage is that glass blowing is such a focused process; you can’t daydream and blow. When you’re deeply focused it becomes meditation. It clears your mind. Then the best ideas come because your head is not full of all the crap. When that happens, that’s the reward.”

Robinson has received the Best Glass Award at the Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibition twice, as well as the Joan Chalmers Glass Award. He has shown his creations in several solo exhibitions in the United States and Canada, and his work is held in a range of private, corporate and public collections, including the Canadian Museum of History in Ottawa and the Museum of American Glass in Millville, New Jersey. 

Oeno Gallery, near Prince Edward, Ontario, exclusively represents Robinson. The sculptor is a Fellow at The Creative Glass Center of America. 

Find original John Paul Robinson abstract sculptures, figurative sculptures and mixed media works on 1stDibs.