Mary Lou Grace Robison

Instagram: @marylougrace_

Website: https://gracerobison.portfoliobox.net

Bio: Robison is a visual artist working in painting, mixed media, photography, and writing. Raised outside of Austin Texas, she currently lives and works in San Francisco where she earned her bachelor's degree in fine arts from the University of San Francisco. Robison was honored at Carnegie Hall for her gold key portfolio by the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards in 2019 and has been featured by various publications such as The Dementia Springs Foundation, The Furrow Magazine, and The Ignatian Literary Magazine. Her work has been shown in galleries such as The Bedford Gallery, Bass and Reiner, MRKT Gallery, SOMArts, and a collaboration show with UC Davis’ MFA Program at SWIM Gallery and 5 Olive. Grace is currently a teacher and student in the MFA program at San Francisco State University.

Statement: Mary Lou Grace Robison’s (Austin, TX) work grasps the complex shared experiences of feminine discovery and trauma. By revisiting her encounters with domestic abuse, addiction and childhood trauma, Robison’s practice is an effort to refine her personal definition of femininity and to reflect, recontextualize and visually represent this trauma. In order to push the boundaries of traditional oil painting, Robison’s work combines a wide range of materials such as found and personal objects, recycled paper, sewing needles, and 35 mm film prints. Employing personal symbolism, layer building and raw color palettes, she plays upon the visual representation of fear, memories, and femininity. Her use of abstraction serves to express something we can’t ever see but is inextricably part of the feminine and human experience.