Robin Bernstein creates intricate art by cutting designs out of plywood, covering them with a beeswax mixture and pressing thousands of tiny cut pieces of colored string into the wax. Each piece tells a story. She recently completed 18 pieces about the Holocaust and now is focused on making art to address issues she believes need more consideration.
How did you find yourself on an artist’s path? Always there?
I loved to draw and paint as a child and luckily, no one interfered. I did, however, receive regular unsolicited advice from my father who told me that visual art was not a “legitimate” career, but a hobby. In the end, I didn’t listen. By the time my undergraduate coursework was complete, I knew the path I would take was that of an artist.
What different creative media do you use in your work?
For many years I worked in acrylic, oil and chalk pastel. Unfortuntely, I developed an allergy to the pigments in the pastel and was forced to switch gears.
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I spent more than 5 years exploring wood carving and wood construction, incorporating thin metal sheet, wood burning, and hammering thousands of tiny escutcheon pins into wood.
For the past 15 years I have been cutting designs out of plywood, covering them with a beeswax mixture and pressing thousands of tiny cut pieces of colored string into the wax. This yarn painting technique is not dissimilar to the technique of the Huichol Indians and satisfies my need for repetition and beauty.
Where do you find your inspiration for your designs?
I’m a political person with strong opinions and ideas. I love history and the fact that ideas can shepherd change, present opportunities to think critically and personally evolve – essentially changing the trajectory of society and life. Rather than shout, write, or run for office, I make work that connects me to others by telling stories and passing along what I think is essential information.
My inspiration comes from conversations, news stories, history, literature, the oral histories and testimonies of people, my own family, and from general human psychology.
What stories do your pieces tell?
In 2022, I finished a large body of work about The Holocaust, titled Beauty and Terror. It is 18 artworks on the theme and it took 13 years to for me to complete it. The current rise in antisemitism and the fear that many Jewish people are now experiencing make this work more important than ever.
My current work addresses issues that I believe need more consideration, discussion, and oversight. Artificial Intelligence, Ecofascism, Antisemitism, Dominionism, and clearly identifiable repeating historical patterns are some examples.
Do you plan your work out ahead of time, or do you just dive in with your materials and start playing?
My work involves both advance planning and spontaneous decision making all at once. Because each piece can take up to 4 months to complete, I must whole heartedly believe in the merit of the idea and the image. Once I’ve composed the work, my color choices are made on the fly and the color scheme is revealed to me as I work, responding to what I have already pressed into the wax.
Do you have a dedicated space for creating? If so, what does it look like?
I live and work in a warehouse that has dedicated space for living and dedicated space for working. The layout allows me to have an open and clear path between my living room and my studio. This way, I can see my work at any time from multiple viewpoints, which satisfies my need to be engaged.
Working across many different media, how do you organize all of your creative supplies?
Like some weavers or tapestry artists, I have yarns and strings of various textures organized according to color. They sit on shelves, in clear bins, in drawers, and in old fashioned stacks of narrow drawers. I am always on the hunt for string – in particular for old string of wool or cotton.
Do you use a sketchbook or journal? How does that help your work develop?
My sketchbook works as a diary of sorts for my life. Included is everything that happens at the time. Notes from a lecture listened to online to sketches and research for a new piece, quotes that inspire me, and the name and phone number of the plumber that might be coming tomorrow, lol .
Can you tell us about the inspiration and process of one of your works? How does a new work come about?
This piece is titled Hope Dies Last. The word Hopeium is defined as the powerful human desire for hope in the face of all logic. The rainbow spray of words within peacock feathers across the top are all the qualities I hope for my children and all children before they are born. A newborn baby stares out of a glittering night sky of stars and roses, looking straight at the viewer with an expression of “and what will you do about it?”. The twisted entangled words below this baby are some of the challenges and societal problems that could and do affect children as they grow, interfering with their ability to live in balance and in peace, able to pursue their natural interests with support and encouragement.
The artwork starts with a sheet of high quality plywood. I draw my design and cut it out with a jigsaw. I melt a mixture of beeswax and other ingredients and collect string in colors that make sense for the idea. I use a curved manicure scissors and a thin chopstick to set, press, and cut the tiny bits of colored string according to the shapes and values and textures in the image. I roll the string into the wax so that it is partially embedded, the wax acting as the adhesive.
Which part of the design process is your favorite? Which part is a challenge for you?
I love putting the initial parts of my piece together. Like a collage artist, I pull and draw images from many subject areas and push them together in an organized and visually active way – always in support of the content. Challenges can come about where images and color overlap.
How does your formal art education help your work develop?
I received my MFA in painting and drawing in the late 1980s. The formal classes I took as an undergraduate offered many experiences using the principles of design in a wide range of materials. This helped me know and begin to define my personal style, interest, and direction. Because of this and because of the many years of making art, I am able to pivot and create work that can holds a viewer’s attention long enough to get the message across.
Does it ever get in the way?
I’ve never felt that my formal instruction has gotten in my way or has interfered with my process or was a waste of time and money. It might be that my particular education allowed more freedom to experiment and respond to what I was making than other programs might have. This is not to say that a formal education is necessary for success, because it clearly is not. The most essential ingredient for success is simply to continue to make work, to be open to looking at the work of others, and to be engaged with yourself.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve received?
The best piece of advice I ever received was given in the form of a question – and it immediately stopped me in my tracks and ultimately turned my work on its head.
The question itself was very personal to what I was making at the time, and doesn’t have a helpful, universal message for others. However, it might be worthwhile to remember to ask yourself the most difficult questions about the nature of the work you make and why you make it.
And if you don’t know what questions to ask, you might be able to cultivate a relationship with another artist or person who is willing to be supportive and honest. This helps to move forward and improve.
Where can people see your work?
I am represented by Transmission Gallery in Oakland, California and have a solo show scheduled there for March 2025 .
My website is www.robinlbernstein.com
Social Media is IG and Facebook @robinlbernstein
I will be teaching yarn painting and Ukrainian Egg Dyeing at Pacific Textile Arts in Fort Bragg, CA this spring and will also teaching yarn painting online through Surface Design Association.
Interview with posted January 2025
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