ART+LIFE The Family Collective Issue
ABOUT THE ARTISTS Jason Roberson, Miriam Tobias and their son Roman share an artistic passion for life. Together they paint (Italian Fresco), build, heal through herbal remedies, laugh and love. A family connected not only by blood, but through the art they create. Jason is an artist, designer and builder. His work ranges from fresco paintings to handcrafted spaces, furniture and toys. Miriam is an artist and herbalist she teaches workshops, leads plant walks, and offers one-on-one herbal wellness consultations.
HAVE YOU EVER HAD THE CHANCE TO COLLABORATE ON A PROJECT TOGETHER? Miriam: Jason and I have always loved to draw together. We apprenticed with a master painter and sculptor, Alfio Rapisardi, in Florence Italy and there we learned all his painting and fresco techniques. We painted several murals in Florence together. One was at the famous restaurant La Garga, another in a jewlers barrel vaulted 15th century apartment We were young, with endless energy and access to amazing espresso shots and would usually paint through the night to the wee hours. Jason: Together, Miriam and I forged our relationship in a melting pot of collaborative drawing and making. We drew together, cut up pictures together, mixed tapes and wrote long love letters. We had a long distance relationship that slowly, magnetically, maybe gravtiationally pulled us together from great distances over many years. WHAT IS THE MOST CHALLENGING AND EASY ASPECT OF CREATING YOUR ART/WORK? Miriam: Being a mom of a very little person, it is challenging to find time to make art. With drawing, painting, and sewing I get so focused that it is hard to tear myself away. I am used to pulling all-nighters finishing a project or at least working for five hours straight. I really am happiest when I can be 100% present with Roman. With the art and craft of herbalism, there is a symbiosis. I can help keep my family healthy with herbal and food medicine.
HAVING SUCH TALENTED ARTISTS FOR PARENTS; IS ROMAN AT ALL INTERESTED IN A MEDIUM? Miriam: Roman is very interested in Art. He spends lot of time drawing and has impressed his parents with being able to draw cars since he was 18 months old. Now almost three, he is drawing his family, spaceships, apple trees, and ridiculously detailed cars and trucks. I am documenting his art making on Instagram @Romanoverload.
WHAT IS THE MOST CHALLENGING AND EASY ASPECT OF CREATING YOUR ART/WORK? Jason: The most challenging aspect of making my art is sometimes the physicality. It can be heavy, dusty, and dirty. But that is the fun of it too. I have tried to sit in an office doing design for a living and It doesn’t suit me for too long of a period. I enjoy designing and then going and building. HOW DOES YOUR WORK RELATE TO YOUR LIFESTYLE? Jason: Art is life. It is difficult to separate the two. We have all ways had a relationship to art
making that I can only describe as having a child. After having a child my theory was confirmed. They don’t always do what you say, are subtle, feed off of your emotions, and you love them unconditionally even if they piss you off sometimes.
me until I saw the 50 ton stones stacked in delicate perfection at Sacsaywaman and around the cusco region. Its a mystery how they were built, and I internalized that mystery into my magnetic block series.
TELL ME A STORY ABOUT WHERE YOU TRAVELED AND CAME ACROSS A NEW IDEA FOR YOUR WORK.
Jason: I’ve been exploring many different aspects of my life and art. I am always experimenting. big, small, on the computer, and in real life. I want to be balanced and dive in. I am exploring the fight or flight instinct right now and the need to be able harness the fear of the unknown and jump in.
Jason: In 2010 we went to Peru and visited the great Incan civilization’s heart in Cusco. I have been intrigued with ancient history for quite a while, but never knew how much it would affect
FUTURE PLANS?
HOW DOES YOUR WORK RELATE TO YOUR LIFESTYLE? Miriam: My work relates to my lifestyle because my work is my lifestyle and my lifestyle is my work. When I became pregnant, I delved deep into studying medicinal herbs and have since become a certified clinical herbalist, seeing clients one on one, teaching workshops, and making herbal products. My first encounter with herbal therapy was when I was battling a horrible sinus infection and got herbs from my soon to be great teacher, Kathleen Maier. Not only did they heal me thorou-
ghly and quickly, I was struck by the esthetic beauty of the whole process: amber dropper bottles with hand written labels, brown bag of tea with plants that I have seen growing, but had no idea they were so useful and pleasant tasting. It is a gift to fully appreciate the natural world and I just love to take people on walks and bring awareness of all the plants that they walk by and see every day. Especially plants thought of as weeds, have so much to offer. Seeing them, tasting them, feeling them, and listening to plants and trees helps bring people into balance. I’ve tinctured most of the
plants growing around me and they all have a different energy, different chemical makeup, so they all taste and smell different and react differently with our tissue states. I have always created art: drawing, painting, textile design. Herbology is surprisingly my best means of creative expression yet. Just listening to someone talk or looking at their face, I am always mentally formulating different herbal blends based off what I perceive. Synergizing and matching the proper herbs and remedies with an individual uses the same part of my brain as color mixing and composing.
JasonLikes: architecture/wood/hidden rooms/Leonardo DaVinci/speaking Italian/Star Wars/film/Tai Chi/ Qigong/swimming/Calvin + Hobbes/Bob Marley/Kronos Quartet/Bach/Lhasa De Sela/John Stewart/Lamborghini/Tesla/ancient civilization/science fiction/Mona Lisa Pasta/espresso/ chai/pickled herring/pizza/kim chi Dislikes: odorous diapers/stress/working on cars/being stuck/Ego/talking and not listening/extreme hot/cold and flu MiriamLikes: nice clothes/getting enough sleep/changing things up/honey/salt/modern design/kindness/ quirkiness Dislikes: corporate greed/brain fog/misshapen fork prongs/rancid oils RomanLikes: Peppa Pig/Clifford the Big Red Dog/Star Wars/Cheese/Truck Treats/Banjo big black dog/ Nike Sneaker/Walk in the woods/buddies/playground/cousie wuzzies (cousins)/Singing Happy Birthday/crashing cars Dislikes: Sleeves/Being Hot/Food(huh?)/being forced into the bath
Jason: www.builderbeast.com Miriam: www.reishiroberson.com Roman: on Instagram @Romanoverload