Kevin Robertson

Kevin Robertson was born in Norseman, Western Australia, in 1964. He studied painting at the Western Australian Institute of Technology (Curtin University), graduating with a BA in 1984. He was awarded a Master of Arts from the College of Fine Arts, University of New South Wales in 1992 and a Doctorate from Curtin University in 2018. He has a consistent practice as a painter and previously exhibited extensively at Galerie Dusseldorf, Perth, and participated in numerous group exhibitions nationally and internationally.

Kevin's paintings engage directly with the natural environment. His work zooms in and out from the micro to the macro, from close-up meteorite landscapes to the vast spaces of the desert. Looking at geological perspectives and then to atmospherics in his cloud studies, billions of years of geological time are counterpoised with the transient movement of clouds.

The phenomenon of a constantly changing environment is reflected in Kevin’s plein air approach. The process of working from direct observation in the outdoors is a stabilising factor through his changing preoccupations, that include painting both architecture and the human figure. The expression of Kevin’s work converges with representation as mutually compatible concerns. The 'expressivity' of geology forms an important part of his work. Nature is, in this sense, in collaboration with the artist and not a passive subject. The accidents of process, the acute scrutiny, and responsiveness to the conditions of the site all contribute to embedding feeling into observation.

Kevin is a valued active member of Art Collective WA as both an artist and a board member.

Kevin Robertson's work is represented in many public and private collections including Artbank, the Art Gallery of Western Australia, Wesfarmers, Bankwest, The University of Western Australia, Murdoch University, Kerry Stokes Collection, Janet Holmes à Court Collection.