ARTIST COLLABORATION : ELEVEN SIX + CORINNE ROBBINS
We are honored to have collaborated with Hudson Valley artist: Corinne Robbins for our Fall 21 collection. Co-founder: Catherine was gifted a painting by the artist for her 40th Birthday which is where the love-affair with Corinne’s stunning abstract, nature-inspired paintings started. The artist's sophisticated, yet, unexpected use of color is incredibly inspirational, so much so, that peak Covid, where we were deeply rooted in the therapy of Upstate nature it felt very natural to approach Corinne for a collaborative project. The painting “Reflections” we translated into knitwear spoke to Catherine so personally. She states: I am constantly moved by the beauty of the ever changing Catskill mountain-scape views you see from differing angles." We love how the artisan-made, intarsia patterned, Corinne Sweater (the artist’s name-sake!) translated in the super soft air-spun alpaca and are thrilled to have the original painting showcased in our new Kingston retail store.
Read on for our conversation with Corinne...
What made a collaboration with ELEVEN SIX intriguing?
I have always had an interest in design throughout my career, it was easy to say ‘yes’ when Catherine Carnevale of Eleven-Six approached me to do a collaboration on a sweater for her Fall 2021 collection. I was intrigued to see my work translated in the medium of Knitwear.
Can you depict the significance of your being inspired by nature and how that translates into your beautiful abstract paintings?
My practice is composed of colorful landscapes, made of oil paints, depicting current responses to nature. They portray a rich contextual version of nature’s narrative, as I pass through it in my everyday life in upstate New York. Through my mind's eye I portray and document an underlying melancolia we do not see. This mysterious, biological, and mental underworld is formed by bringing the grounded and the conjured together. By intrinsically bringing these two realms together, the grounded and the conjured; I forge forward to create ‘hope’ in an image. Created by a state of survival, these works are about impressions, correlations, and yearnings.
The Artist: Corinne Robbins wearing her name-sake sweater during a visit to our retail store in Kingston
Can you tell us in more detail about the painting that was translated into the Corinne Sweater?
My painting “Reflection" is about searching for sanctuary, and finding comfort, even if for a moment. Painted in 2016, “Reflection” is the view of the Catskills mountain range as I would see it every week driving upstate from Brooklyn. It is the view seen from the opposite side of the Hudson River. Intrigued by the soft silhouette once carved by water, the mountains have a way of making their own drawing. The painting is also about a personal reflection. Discovering that like the ever changing view of the mountains so is my life. The Catskills reflect back to me a unique vision, transforming into art and design, each time I passed by.
You just completed an artist residency in the Hudson area – can you recount some of your inspired process during this time?
I spent the last four weeks at Byrdcliffe in Woodstock, NY, a utopian arts and crafts colony in the heart of the Catskill Mountains. My studio and cabin were deep in the woods. This environment was all encompassing. I began to notice details such as large boulders, hanging vines, fallen trees, and muddy rivers; these all became subjects of my new work. My paintings became more dense and rugged like my surroundings but with a twist of fantasy. The work became surreal and dreamy, yet tangled and complicated. I drank the Kool-Aid! I call them my ‘hippy paintings’ it’s Woodstock after all!
Can you share three words describing your work?
Earth’s Utopian Observations
Part 2 coming soon of the behind-the-scenes of Corinne Sweater
in production at the artisan workshops in Peru...
SHOP FALL 21