Lorraine Robson makes thought-provoking works that pay homage to ancient and primitive skills, while embracing contemporary influences. In a world dominated by commercialism and technology, she enjoys the meditative nature of allowing the form to evolve with handwork, imagination and human labour, using the most primitive and natural materials available: the earth itself.
The primary reductive motifs used within her work reference the natural world, land and sea. Robson produces moulds in rubber and plaster to facilitate the production of handcrafted ceramic vessels and original plaster and resin sculptures. She has also been experimenting with directly casting from life, which has added a new dimension to her work.
A reoccurring motif within Robson’s work is the mussel shell. A two-piece natural form observed and collected from beaches. Robson has remodelled the forms in clay and plaster before recasting, cutting, joining and altering, reducing the shape and texture into its most basic form at variety of scales to create either simple or complex wall relief arrangements. The focus is on the light, shadows and the negative and positive spaces, using repeat relief forms that project from or break through smooth surfaces
Robson studied sculpture at Edinburgh College of Art and currently works from her studio in the outskirts of Edinburgh. In 2020 she was awarded National Lottery funding through Creative Scotland to present work at Collect 2020. This installation was shown more recently in the SSA 130 years exhibition at the Royal Scottish Academy.