The Arts
Cover Artist Sally Robbe by Donna Rhodes
realism allowing light, reflection, shadow, color, and content to tap into the viewer’s experience and stir his or her emotion. Sally started out as a primary school teacher. Young students, and later her grandchildren, were and continue to be her muses. They inspire not only subject matter but a youthful spirit in her work. While Sally does gallery exhibitions, her mainstay is commissioned work, particularly portraiture. She paints from photographs of people, pets, and wildlife. She says, “I usually work from photos, often several which I cut and piece together. For example, it is difficult to shoot a picture
48 | November 2011 | www.thelaurelmagazine.com
of two people let alone two energetic animals. For a portrait of a pair of dogs I had separate photos of each animal, then cut an image from one shot and superimposed it over another to get the angles and composition that worked best.” Sometimes her portraits are of old rural storefronts and barns, which, to Sally, have personalities just like people. She also enjoys painting still life compositions of peaches, apples, strawberries, pears and other classic natural forms. When she travels with her family to North Georgia, South Carolina Low Country, Northwestern Montana, Western Kentucky or the Caribbean, her camera and
often her paints and easel are among the first things packed. Her land-, sea- and mountainscapes frequently feature children and pets in addition to the local color. Her works have been exhibited in several art shows and galleries, including Greenleaf Gallery in Highlands. Many paintings have found their way to private homes throughout the South and some as far west as Montana. If you have been meaning to honor a family member or favorite pet with a personal portrait, contact Sally for more information To learn more about her work visit www.sallyrobbe.com, call (404) 275-2385 or email her at: sbrobbe@aol.com.
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t’s magic really…. slathering pigment and oil onto a square of canvas with a palette knife, bringing to life an old building, a barn, a favorite pet, or a familiar face. Few can do that, and those who can do it well, like Sally Robbe, a native Georgian, are in a league all their own. In describing her technique, Sally says, “I paint with a 1.5” palette knife. Everything I do is with that knife.” Some painters use a palette knife to layer in finishing touches, but Sally lays out her work with a knife, doing even the finest detail with blade edge and tip. In an age where abstraction is the vogue, Sally relies on good old-fashioned