Robbie Fitzpatrick is rising! Watercolor is her chosen medium. Her style is realistic, and her goal, to have her audience smile, laugh, sigh, wonder, or cry. Her tools: the use of light and dark to portray a moment in life.
Most of her life, Robbie considered herself a writer, and she earned the education that would support her, a B.A. in English/Speech Education, an M A. in English Literature, and a Ph.D. She started in the corporate world, providing technical writing support and website design and administration, and eventually moved into teaching Freshman English Composition.
Despite signs of artistic talent, it wasn't until retirement that she fully moved into the art world. After starting with pencil drawings, Robbie picked up a watercolor brush. There she remained. She quickly discovered the love of Realism, and found a teacher of realistic watercolor. She started classes the first of 2013 and has been learning ever since.
In 2013, she earned her first higher-level award in the Watercolor Art Society-Houston Membership Exhibit. In 2014, she continued her success, with paintings accepted by several regional watercolor societies, some earning additional awards.
In 2015, Robbie was accepted as an Associate Member of the Society of Animal Artists and had pictures accepted to many national and international watercolor exhibits. More of her pieces won awards.
In 2016, her efforts resulted in paintings accepted into additional regional watercolor societies, a trend that eventually earned her Signature Membership in nine watercolor societies. Her watercolor, "Foot of the Bed" was accepted in the North Light Books publication Splash 18: Lights and Darks and was a Finalist in the 2016 ARC Salon. Robbie was accepted into the membership of the International Guild of Realism and Women Artists of the West (WAOW). Her painting "Gentle Persuasion" was a Finalist in Southwest Art Magazine's Artist Excellence Competition.
The year 2017 led to new opportunities and achievements. "Gentle Persuasion" was accepted into the inaugural "Winter Salon" of the International Guild of Realism. Plus, her painting " Foot of the Bed" was included in the Society of Animal Artists' "57th Annual Exhibition and selected for the 2017-2018 Art and the Animal Tour.
In 2018, Robbie expanded her participation into multi-media competitions. "Waiting" won a Judge’s Recognition Award in the 11th Biennial National Art Exhibition at the Visual Arts Center in Punta Gorda, Florida. "Foot of the Bed" was awarded an Honorable Mention in the Artistic Excellence competition; "The Front Gate" was a Finalist in the Richeson75 Landscapes, Seascapes, and Architecture 2018 competition; and "Gentle Persuasion" was selected for "Splash 20: Creative Compositions." A major highlight, Robbie was also named as a A.R.C. Living Artist.
In 2019 and in 2020, her watercolors have continued to be juried into exhibitions, including the Signature American Watermedia International Exhibition and the American Watercolor Society 2019 International Exhibition, where her piece "Aglow" was awarded the Diana Kan and Sing Si Schwartz Memorial Award. Pieces were also selected for WAOW exhibitions, and the 2019 and 2020 Bosque Art Classic.
* This statement has been provided directly by the artist in association to their 15th International ARC Salon entries. This content has not been edited for typos or grammatical errors and has not been vetted for accuracy.
