Sobin finds inspiration in both the internal
and external landscape, in her dreams, and
in the colors brought about through
emotional responses to the world. Her
paintings are heart-centric, dream-led
responses. Images and colors come to her
as she is drifting off to sleep and she finds
she must jump up and sketch them out or
write out her ideas before they are lost;
keeping a journal next to the bed for just
that purpose.
She believes abstraction chose her.
Sobin first began with writing poetry, feeling
as if she was painting with words. Then one
day she picked up a camera. It was while
living in the Sonoran Desert west of Tucson
that the landscape exploded in her mind -
colors, emotions, shapes - the freedom of
space and the connections she began
making with the natural world gave her
room to grow as an artist. It changed
everything. She believes the way an image
emerges on canvas has a direct correlation
to changes in her emotional landscape and
those around her.
The camera was the vehicle that brought
about the movement and freedom of form,
which translated into color and shape. Her
internal landscape merged with the external
world.
When she had begun taking photographs
they seemed to naturally translate into
abstracts, especially with black and white
photography. The shadows and shapes in
grayscale lent itself well to the abstract
form, at least in a photographic sense.
Eventually this translated into vivid color in
her paintings.
To create the ground in a piece, Sobin will
sometimes hand rub the colors in. It is a
meditative process, which sets the overall
mood of a piece and guides whether there
is more brush work, more energy given
through the palette knife, or more hand built
layers. Loving the experimental process,
she sometimes uses common household
objects to create patterns and overlays of
color and shapes.
She is a member of several local artist
groups and keeps her creative mind busy
with workshops in painting, poetry, and
photography.
Sobin divides her creative time
between the Rocky Mountains and the
Sonoran Desert.
It is important for Sobin to surround herself
with innovation, inspiration and creativity in
many areas of her life.
As an artist, Sobin’s mission is to create a
span that traverses both the internal and
external landscape. She wants people to
see and feel the connectivity from the self,
the inner landscape, to the earth, terra firma
- the outer landscape through the visual
conduit of color, shape, gesture, motion.
She sees art as a way to connect the sense
of self and the environment we live in.