About the Artist

Artist Statement

Natures palette offers a range of wild intensity to subdued tranquility. I am attentive to the environment and landscape, finding artistic inspiration, meditation, and structure in the impressionistic patterns that exist in the natural world. I am currently focused on painting expressive landscapes. Encaustic, soft pastel, gouache and watercolor are my mediums of choice. I also love experimenting with new combinations using traditional and non-traditional materials. Pure, lush color meshed with organic shapes and form allows me to create ambience on a flat surface.

"Color is my day-long obsession, joy, and torment."

Claude Monet

A person painting in the grass near an easel.

Biography

Robin Samiljan grew up on the North Shore of Chicago in Wilmette, IL. After graduating from Vanderbilt University she moved to Swampscott, MA. The beauty of the New England landscape captured her imagination and prompted her to re-create nature’s gifts through visual art. Following the reading of the book "The Tao of Watercolor" she studied watercolor painting with Vermont artist Jeanne Carbonetti. Years of being active in the arts community led her to become the president of the Swampscott Art Association. She eventually became head of the art committee at the Marblehead Art Association.

Robin was introduced to encaustic painting techniques while attending the International Encaustic Conference in 2009 hosted at Montserrat College of Art where Robin was teaching watercolor painting. She started exploring soft pastel painting after moving back to Chicago in 2013. The Covid 19 pandemic allowed her the time to hone and combine a variety of her artistic techniques.

Samiljan continues to work with multiple art mediums. She uses saturated pigments on papers and boards, often combined with wax or gesso to create luminous, dimensional textures. For the past decade she has taught weekly classes and workshops primarily at the North Shore Art League in Winnetka, IL. She exhibits her work in local, national, and international shows. Most recently, her home has transitioned from Chicago to Green Bay, WI where she is actively re-connecting with nature and offering painting workshops at the Peninsula School of Art in Fish Creek, WI.

News & Press

Summer issue, volume 38

COVID 19: Staying at home, working at home...

The Copley Society of Art is proud to present Miniature Moments, a solo show of encaustic works by Robin Samiljan.

Evanston artist Robin Samiljan’s work will travel all the way to downtown Boston.

Our featured artist,  Robin Samiljan, is one of the new artists included in the Chicago Art Source Gallery Winter Show  

Summer issue, 2013

It’s difficult to decide what to show when you have so much accumulated artwork, especially if you’re Robin Samiljan...

Tranquility and peace permeates the watercolor paintings of Swampscott artist Robin Samiljan...

It's close to midnight, maybe just a few minutes before, and Robin Samiljan is standing in her backyard, surrounded by vibrant plants and trees...

Local watercolorist Robin Samiljan merges art with poetry in her new work.

Prints

"Inspiration for 'A Year of the Full Moon' came each month when the moon was full. After viewing the moon I painted the way it made me feel rather than what I actually saw."