Born in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas , Robin Renee Hix has been influenced by Mexico since her first trip over the border at age five
Her work is united by her eye for beauty in the unexpected and details often missed. She transforms her traditional darkroom hand printed black and white photographs into brilliantly colored and finely detailed oil colored paintings allowing venue for creativity , unique color sense and fine craftsmanship.
The surface of the matte paper allows the paint to adhere. Oil color is applied with soft cotton , blended by hand , then fine brushes are used for detail work. The oil painted photographs are surrounded by frames individually made by the artist to complement each image. Recently, Robin Renee Hix modified a "junk" camera which she uses to create diffused grainy surfaces that mimic her offbeat compositions and subjects.
My newest cameras are cheap, fun and completely made of plastic including the lens.
After working with expensive professional state of the art medium format cameras, I love the spontaneity and unpredictability of this so called "toy " camera. The fact that there is minimal exposure control and absolutely no guarantee of a reliable photograph is a fun challenge . Drawn to compositions that are full of distortion, unexpected flare, soft edges, and dramatic light, this camera is ideal for my offbeat works . Hand painting oils of sublime colors to the surfaces of these black and white photographs , I create one of a kind works on paper.
In 2004 Hix entered a juried national competition, had three images selected, from over 1,348 other competitors entries, and was awarded first place for her "Paper Airplanes" , an image taken with the "junk" camera. The exhibition of the images culminated in the acquisition of her work by the Wittliff Gallery of Southwestern & Mexican Photography, one of the world's major institutions collecting , housing and exhibiting one of the most significant collections of contemporary Mexican and Southwestern Photography.
PO Box 1558 Wimberley ,Texas 78676
512 847-9022
robinrhix@earthlink.net