🌊 In Search of the Waters of Oblivion 🌊

“Arrange whatever pieces come your way.” ~Virginia Woolf

Hello, dear subscribers! It’s Robyn here, back at last, piecing together the fragments of my life after a long, forced interruption. My heart surgeries may have sidelined me, but I’m ready to dive back into the work that fuels me—drawing, researching, podcasting, and writing to you.

I don’t want to dwell on the surgeries too much here because I’m desperate to sink into the parts of my life that aren’t about my body (except, of course, my drawing hand and my eyeballs). For those who’ve asked, I’ll keep it simple: my initial surgery was successful, but unexpected complications brought me scarily close to death—within twenty minutes, they tell me. An emergency surgery was performed and miraculously, I was spared my life. Recovery feels grueling and endless, but I’m finding lessons in the worst of it. If you’re interested in more of the details, my podcast goes into it further, and as always, tops it all off with a reading.

Speaking of, in the time since we last spoke, my podcast ME READING STUFF celebrated its 10-year anniversary! With 397 episodes and counting, it’s in rare company (90% of podcasts never make it past their third episode), and I’m proud that I’ve managed to keep this one alive and thriving. Please check out the anniversary special wherever you listen to podcasts, or simply stream it right here:

draft of my new homepage

I’m also dangerously close to launching a new website, developed and designed entirely by me. I’ve approached the site like it’s a drawing, building a space that’s visually interesting while also making it easy to update with news, projects, and art. In a world thankfully drifting back to artists’ websites as the hub for real content (not just social media snippets), I’m excited to make mine a true reflection of how I’d like to see artists communicate and share their work. Paid subscribers, watch for an invite to explore both the site and shop the second it’s live.

Studies in Suffocation I, 66” x 60”, graphite on paper, 2016

For those of you who are ready to see my work live and in-person, I have a few events to mention. First, a large drawing of mine entitled Studies in Suffocation I is currently on view at The Menil in an exhibition of forty works from their permanent collection that also includes work by: Agnes Martin, Andy Warhol, Francis Bacon, Cy Twombly, Louise Nevelson, Mark Rothko, Piet Mondrian, Pablo Picasso, and Stanley Whitney, and more. This will be up until September of 2026.

Vacation Scene, detail, 11 1/8” x 15”, graphite on paper, 2025 (Inman Gallery)

Secondly, this November, the gorgeous new Inman Gallery space in Houston opens with an inaugural show of gallery artists. I’ll update you as that date grows closer. Above is the drawing I made specifically for this exhibition. Contact Inman Gallery if you’re interested in this piece.

Finally, my solo exhibition return will be in NYC at Susan Inglett Gallery, and the show opens on my 49th birthday: April 30th, 2026. Put this one on the calendar!

I’ve recently completed more postcard drawings for you—above is a peek at a handful! To get one of your own, it takes 2 simple steps:

1. Become a paid subscriber here:

2. Send me your mailing address:

Most importantly, I can’t leave without thanking you all for your kindness during this terrifying year. Whether you typed a message, mailed a card, or sent a care package — I read every word, cried a lot, and needed it all. I wish I could respond to each of you, but please know that your love has kept me going through an excruciating season. Bless you all.

While Virginia Woolf “arranges the pieces”, I’m grasping for scraps, turning nightmares into welcomed vistas, and finally learning to be okay with not being okay.

Me in May:

John Martin, Sadak in Search of the Waters of Oblivion, 1810

And me now:

Caspar David Friedrich, Woman before the Rising Sun (Woman before the Setting Sun), 1818-20

Thank you for sticking with me — I’m excited to be back with you in this space of images, words, and regular heart rhythms.