Nicole Brice
Oct 4, 2022
Merging Styles
Robin Masterman is a Louisiana-based visual artist whose style resonates in multiple categories from the finest of art to facets of everyday life and right on down to the circumstances existing all around us.
Currently living in the city where he grew up, Prairieville, he spends his time focusing on making art that not only catches your attention but also makes you stop and think about things that probably never occurred to you.
His pieces use bright, vibrant colors with an extensive range of creative depth that spans from on-the-surface interpretations to subjects that cannot be seen at first glance with the naked eye.
Masterman comes by his artistic gene honestly. His father is a sculptor, and his grandmother was a painter. It was she who introduced him the medium as a child and always kept him painting, encouraging his abilities. Because of that, he pulls a lot of his inspiration from her, as well as from his mother and father, to create works so deeply personal one cannot help but feel the energy behind his intention. But family isn’t his only source of inspiration.
“Emotions, thoughts, losses, wins—it all depends on the day. Now, graffiti? That’s a different story because of the adrenaline bursts of wondering whether the cops are going to bust ya when [you’re] putting up a piece,” Robin replies when asked what other sources light up his creative spark.
While he is, no doubt, a man of multi-faceted talents, he makes sure each piece he does is unique to itself to ensure no two pieces are the same. And while he uses a host of many mediums, Robin prefers marker and spray paint over anything else but says he will do some acrylic, “on occasion.”
Mirroring the styles of famed pioneer fashion artist Stephen Sprouse and Neo-expressionist icon Basquiat, Robin’s talent is one to remember strictly because of the impression it leaves.
He started drawing at the age of nine. It wasn’t until the late 90’s, when he was working at tattoo shops, that he truly got into making art. It started with canvas art in 2002 and he says of the time with a laugh, “It was acrylic ninja masks and arrows; it was bad.”
But Masterman evolved well past his artistic beginnings and, at one time, worked under numerous well-known street artists.
Says Robin, “I learned spray paint and acrylics from other graffiti artists, which also led to a strange fascination with painting numbers at times.”
When asked of a famous artist he would like to spend the day with, living or dead, he responded, “Renoir. For the experience, conversation, and models. I respect his way of self-preservation and profit, while still doing what you love.”
Jackson Pollock is another one of his inspirations, specifically “his work with Benton pre-drip craze … [it]was amazing!” says Masterman.
As for where Robin sees himself in the future, “Just trying surrealism a bit, and maybe traveling. Who knows?”
Robin’s work can be purchased directly from the man himself by either reaching out via social media or e-mailing RobinMastermanArt@gmail.com.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/peterobinnola/
If you would like to have your art featured, hit me up at the_nicolebrice@mixedaltmag.com