The thing that sets me apart and makes me the most proud is that I’m have have built my art business by myself with no external support, partner or employees. I’ve chosen a very difficult professional path as a woman on her own, working as an independent artist. While there are many stressful moments, there are also many times where I proudly pat myself on the back for doing so well! Again, I want to emphasize that I believe that the drive and focus necessary for this type of work came from my time as a single mother working hard to raise a good human, work many jobs, put myself through college, and so on. But, could I have done all those things without lessons learned from my parents, grandparents and other familial influencers? No way. So, here’s an extra shout out to all those folks, too. As far as my style goes, what sets me apart from lots of other animal portraitists is that my work is bright. It’s contemporary. It’s bold. It’s happy! Traditional pet portraits tend to be realistic, muted and fairly quiet, but mine are LOUD.

When I began my business, I was living in San Antonio, TX and heavily influenced by all the beautiful Mexican-style art and murals around me. I was also influenced by the Dia de los Muertos holiday, which is so popular there. Do a Google search for “RobiniArt Sugar Skull Dog” to see many examples of this early work of mine. Since moving to Colorado, I have shifted my portraits to be a bit more realistic, but the wild colors are still there, as bright as ever!

Something else that sets me apart is my flexibility. I’m not an artist who paints the same thing for years on end, hoping to brand myself solidly for a particular demographic or collector base. I grow. I change. I learn. I’m diverse. For example, I started painting landscapes and Mid-Century Modern inspired abstracts a few years back and now sell just as many of those as my animal portraits. And, just recently, I purchased an iPad and am using the Procreate app to create a whole new line of digitally-created artwork for my Etsy store (see the Mod Blobs and Mandala shop sections at www. RobiniArt.etsy.com).

What do I want the world to know about my brand? I want them to know that I provide thoughtful, supportive, sensitive and kind interaction with my collectors, both current and future. I want the world to know that I’m attentive, efficient, hard working and utterly driven beyond belief to create for them a beautiful work of art that they will cherish for a lifetime, or that they can gift to a loved one. I want interior stylists and designers to know that I will 100% support them and their clients to provide landscapes, abstracts or animal portraits that enhance their living and working spaces, weaving their colors and ideas into my work on their behalf. Collaboration makes everything better! I’m timely and responsive, and I adhere to deadlines with professionalism and courtesy.