If the quality of
my artwork does not meet your criteria -
please change your criteria

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Tar Mussel Art Assemblage and Reality


Walking on the beach in front of my studio the other
morning I came across mussels in a tide pool. I took
a photo to compare and show the difference between
the art piece shown here and the photo of the
mussels in the tidepool. This comparison should
explain what the difference is between art and reality.

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Tar Toy People Assemblage

We’ve covered ourselves with the need for oil.
I bath in it. I stink of oil. Oil shows through my
white gloves. I sail in a glass bottom boat on a
sea of oil. I prefer to not look down. If you don’t
use oil or your allotment of oil you’re an idiot.
That’s the economy. That’s the law.

Tar Pit Toys Assemblage - Artist John Robertson

Thursday, April 10, 2008

Tar Pit Car Assemblage Art

Tar Pit Car Assemblage is another in the series of
tar assemblages I’ve been working on for the past
four or five months. I haven’t given up painting –
I’ve been doing some large scale commission work
while also working on these pieces. They are more
sports paintings – specifically for a National Hockey
Team which the agent just picked up. I’ll post
photos of them in a few days.

Monday, April 7, 2008

Of arms, legs and man I sing - assemblage

Of arms and man I sing or I sing of arms and man or
of arms and the man I sing referencing Virgil, Shaw
or the experimental rock group depending on your
literary/ musical background. War is the main issue
and here in this assemblage we see the torn arms and
legs of toy soldiers and an occasional cowboy
drenched in tar. I originally did this piece without the
tar but somehow it called to me (kinda like the muse
of Virgil) to slop the tar over the piece. That’s an
obvious reference and I am told to quit commenting
on my pieces of art. Art should for the observer to
make the connections. But what usually happens is
the viewer makes some disparaging remark on some
intention of which I had no intention to arouse.
Basically they don’t get it. I’m just trying to help it along.

Friday, April 4, 2008

Tar Mussels Assemblage

I remember the Santa Barbara oil spill back in
January 29, 1969 where a Union Oil Co. platform
six miles off the coast had a blowout. Although
they capped the hole the expanding pressure
ruptured the ocean floor in five places and for
eleven days oil and gas released into the ocean.
200,000 gallons of crude oil bubbled to the surface
and was spread into an 800 square mile slick by
winds and swells. Our beach in front had chunks
of tar that covered a variety of sea life. I remember
seeing the mussels on some of the rocks getting
covered in the gooey mess. This tar assemblage
is a reminder of that time.

Wednesday, April 2, 2008

Girl’s Night Out Last Supper Assemblage

Girls! Ladies Day! Bar Drinks. Last Supper.
Assemblage by John Robertson.
I assume this is appropriate or I should probably say
- inappropriate to this time of year. I have no idea
why I put these two objects together. I don’t think
my pastor would approve of this piece – and somehow
I don’t either but I still assembled them together.

Thursday, March 27, 2008

Assemblage of car toys in Tar

The cars embedded in tar is a gesture in despair -
despair at the loss of the auto and despair at the
environmental cost for the operation of the auto.
Assemblage Art by John Robertson

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Jesus in a Pick-up Truck

Jesus in a Pick-up Truck Assemblage
Outsider art by John Robertson

I was watching the news about Sen Barack Obama's
speech yesterday and they showed sermons from the
Rev. Jeremiah Wright, Obama's longtime pastor. It
made me think that there is nobody more sincere
than a preacher given a sermon. I don’t mean this
in any way directed towards Obama – as I like him
very much and think him to be very sincere and
honest – but it also reminded me that there is nobody
more sincere than a politician telling a lie.


Wednesday, March 12, 2008

Car tar Pit Assemblage

Car tar Pit Assemblage political art by John Robertson.
This reminds me of my old days as a teenager when I
worked in my dad's gas station. We'd collect the
old oil from the oil changes and then dump the oil
into big drums. The house we lived in that was on
a hill at one time had a dirt street in front. There
was a guy who used to take old reclaimed oil from
the gas stations and pour it at the top of the hill
and let it run down to cover the dirt street.
Worked well for dust abatement but was not a
politically correct environmental way to get rid
of the oil. This was the late forties. Did anyone
even think about those things in those day?

Monday, March 10, 2008

Tar Assemblage Baby Doll

Tar Assemblage Baby Doll by artist John Robertson

Friday, March 7, 2008

Tar babies assemblage

assemblage with the use of tar on dolls
by John Robertson

Wednesday, March 5, 2008

Tar Assemblage Art - Beach Junk

My studio is right across the street from the beach.
Most days I take a run in the late morning and
sometimes stop to collect stuff from the beach for
assemblages. I try and take the stuff from the same
small section of the beach (about 50 yards). It is
interesting to see what floats or gets washed up
each day. I don’t collect every day but I do observe
the same stretch of sand. So this Tar Assemblage
art is a small sampling of junk washed up a couple
of days ago. After awhile one sees the same sort
of stuff reoccurring – lighters, bottle caps, plastic
cups – bottles – broken foam cups, etc. A real
mess on any given day and a real testimony to the
care so many give to the beach environment

Monday, March 3, 2008

Tar Assemblage Art Ladybug

Tar Assemblage Art Ladybug and friends

Friday, February 29, 2008

Forest Tar Pit Assemblage from Ocean

Tar pit assemblage art by John Robertson . This social
political piece about the ocean and the environment
(including the use of oil as a resource) points out that
there is one thing I am sure of, it is that we are
screwing up the earth. And it’s as if some people find
it amusing that we are destroying it and ourselves
along with it. And if you don’t believe that then you
are overestimating your intelligence.

Wednesday, February 27, 2008

Tar Pits Crab

As some of you know my studio is just across
the street from the beach. I pick up stuff in the
mornings and sometimes turn it into a piece.
There were a lot of shells, some with tar on them.
Assemblage art by John Robertson is 7 1/2" x 9"
Oil might have been a good for us at one time but
we’ve been using too much of it for too long. For
those that don’t get the fact that global warming
is a problem – I just don’t understand what is on
their mind – which, I guess is an overstatement

Tuesday, February 26, 2008

Dupuytren's Contracture


As you can see by my hand photos I’ve been away from
painting and making art for a little bit of time. Some
of you who follow my blog know that I have Dupuytren's
Contracture . I’m in an experimental program at UCLA
to find a resolution for the problem. So – one of my
finger joints was injected with something that is suppose
to dissolve the something in my finger joint that is
causing the contracture. Here you can see the result
of the injection –swelling of the hand and fingers. My
fingers are curled under or inward on my hand
because of the contractures. There was not a whole
lot of pain with the injection or when they stretch
and pop the contracture the next day. I’ve read other
accounts on the internet speaking about the pain but
in my case and in the case of others in the study with
me at UCLA there doesn’t seem to be to be as much
as I expected. It has been a few days now and I’m
thrilled with the result. The one joint that was
injected has opened up quite a bit – not a full
extension – but I can use that hand a lot better than
I could before. The experimental program runs
through November and I have four more injections
and physical therapy over that time so hopefully I
will get a lot of the hand repaired. The other hand
and thumbs gets left to future hopes.

Wednesday, February 20, 2008

Skate Trim Hockey painting

Hockey skate trim is used to polish the bottoms,
edges and toes of hockey skates. This painting of
an old box is adapted to the New Jersey Devils.
The painting is approximately 8 feet by 3 ½ feet,
acrylic/latex on unstretched canvas. This sports
Hockey art was painted by John Robertson
for a presentation.

Monday, February 18, 2008

Indifference to Humanity assemblage by John Robertson

Tough immigration laws are made by those who are
having a better time. Roosevelt said that we are
all descended from immigrants. I know that for
me I’m lucky that there were no immigration laws
when my family came to this country. Of course
they immigrated from the Garden of Eden. –
Immigration assemblage by John Robertson

Friday, February 15, 2008

Emmitt Smith of Dallas Cowboys Painting

This Emmitt Smith sports football painting
by John Robertson was done for a presentation.
The artwork is approximately 50" x 70"
acrylic/latex on unstretched canvas.

Wednesday, February 13, 2008

Children's Toys Assemblage

Children’s Toy Assemblage by John Robertson
In collecting toys for my assemblage I seem to find
two type of small children’s toys – those that are new
or those that are broken. It is as if the first thing a
child does is try to figure out how to break the toy.
Some take a few hours to break and others takes
a couple of days. The last group I got had all the
heads ripped off of them. I have no idea where
the heads are – or what the child must have done
with them. But that group of toys had a miniature
guillotine included.

Tuesday, February 12, 2008

Climbing On The Rock

That’s my son-in-law climbing on the rock face
in the photo below. If you’ve followed my blog
you have seen photos of some of our
short outdoor trips


My son-in-law is owner of Real Cheap Sports in
Ventura CA. Real Cheap Sports opened in 1981
in Ventura, California as Patagonia's original
outlet store, just one block from Patagonia's
headquarters. Operating independently since
August 1998, Real Cheap Sports offer great deals
on Patagonia products as well as other
quality brands of outdoor merchandise
– from clothing to climbing gear, camping
equipment, water sports, etc.

For a list of their President's Weekend Sale specials visit:
http://realcheapsports.com/pages/specials.html

Monday, February 11, 2008

Jackie Robinson painting


I had started on this painting awhile ago for
a video someone was doing about me and
I never had a chance to finish it. It was
just a short segment showing me painting
one of these large scle pieces of art. I
worked on the piece last week and it's now
finished. Painting of Jackie Robinson by
John Robertson is approximately
50" x 70" acrylic/latex on unstretched canvas.

Monday, February 4, 2008

Odds and Ends From my Tools Drawer (After Louise)

This black 7 ½" x 9" assemblage by John Robertson.
Wood, plastic metal, paint, glue. I never know how
a piece of art is going to turn out because I’m never
sure about what I am making. That also goes for the
meaning of a piece of art. How do I know what it
means when I don’t know what I’m making. It just is.

Friday, February 1, 2008

Guns and Knives (after Louise)

Guns and knives black assemblage by
John Robertson. Wood, plastic, metal,
paint. What is interesting about this
assemblage is the relationship between
the guns, knives and swords which
does not give a sense of the size of the piece.
Gun ownership is a big political issue
– the need for protection. If you want real
protection you should understand that gun
ownership may not afford the best protection
for a homeowner. As I recall in the book
" Freakonomics" by Stephen D. Levitt and
Stephen J. Dunbar they stated that gun deaths are
low relative to swimming pools deaths.
With that in mind it seems that instead of
buying an AK47 for protection homeowners
should be digging moats.

Wednesday, January 30, 2008

Aminal Tar Pits Assemblage (after Louise)

Tar Pits 7 1/2" x 9" mixed media black
assemblage by artist John Robertson
- wood, tar, plastic, metal, paint.
As a child quite regularly I visited the
La Brea Tar Pits in Los Angeles. I loved
going there and still do. I think seeing the
bones embedded in the tar (as a child) is a
strong influence on this current work. I do
have to say that Louise Nevelson's work
also has a strong influence. It's probably why
I like her work so much.


Monday, January 28, 2008

Baby Jesus and Mary Assemblage (after Louise)

Baby Jesus and Mary assemblage by John Robertson
is 4 1/2" x 6 1/2" plastic, ceramic, wood, metal and
paint. As a card carrying church member I have
always been interested in religious symbols. I
constantly refer back to those images and use
them a lot in my work. I think it comes from
being raised in a strong religious family. Ministers
(in the past) have not always understood or
appreciated my work. As I have said about my
work - it is not about communicating a particular
point a view but trying to understand or come to
terms with what subject I'm investigating.
Here in this work its about the religious objects
and the use of the black paint.

Saturday, January 26, 2008

Early Morning Photos of the Beach




This is a photo from by studio at about 5:00 am
the other morning. The moon was shining over
the ocean and back-lit the rain clouds. As the
lighting changed dramatically through the
morning I did a series of photos. This is
another good reason why I use a mobile
home at the beach as my studio.





By the time I left for UCLA the lighting had changed
over the ocean and Sunset surfing point.




Later in the morning this rainbow appeared over
the Sunset point about a mile-and-a-half away.

Friday, January 25, 2008

Tar Pits Assemblage (after Louise)

Tar Pits 4 1/2" x 6 1/2 mixed media
assemblage - wood, plastic, metal, paint.
As a child quite regularily I visited the
La Brea Tar Pits in Los Angeles. I loved
going there and still do. I think seeing the
bones embedded in the tar (as a child) is a
strong influence on this current work. I do
have to say that Louise Nevelson's work
also has a strong influence. It's probably why
I like her work so much.

Wednesday, January 23, 2008

Legs Against Arms Assemblage

"Legs against Arms" assemblage by John Robertson
8" x 8 1/2" wood, plastic. I imagine there are
a couple of interesting thoughts about the meaning
of this assemblage. Don't ask me. I'd just make
something up. You can do that for yourself.

Monday, January 21, 2008

Bird Song Assemblage (After Louise)

The "bird Song" assemblage by John Robertson is 12" x 24",
Wood, cardboard, paper, feathers paint. This piece is about the
birds in the neighborhood and how well they are doing - not well.
Something is getting to them and it may be the flu - (I have not
noticed them with a cough) or the cats ( I have not noticed the
cats with a particularily happy face). Who knows what it is.

Friday, January 18, 2008

Guns Ammo and Drugs Assemblage (After Louise)

Guns Ammo Drugs assemblage is 12" x 24" by John Robertson
mixed materials of wood, metal, plastic and paint. As I have
said in doing some of the earlier pieces, I'm experimenting
with different objects and layouts to see how the black paint
effects the look of the piece. Questions like space, color,
reflection, materials are all taken into consideration

Wednesday, January 16, 2008

Paradise Assemblage (After Louise)

This assemblage of "Paradise: is approximately 4" x 6"
As you may have seen in my posts earlier this week
I am experimenting with the use of black paint and
what it does to different surfaces and objects. In the
case of this assemblage I wanted to see how it helps
or distracts from the narrative story. - John Robertson

Monday, January 14, 2008

Mourning After (Assemblage After Louise)

Where do all the birds go to die? How often do
you see one? It's a question of "where is the bird
cemetery?"
I've always loved black paint and have used
it a lot in my work. But I have never used it
for the whole Object d'Art. Here it really adds
something to the political message of this piece.

Mourning After assemblage by John Robertson
Size is 11 1/2" x 11 1/2" x 3/4"
black paint, wood, fabric, children's blocks

Friday, January 11, 2008

Toy Soldiers Assemblage (After Louise)


I've always loved black paint and have used
it a lot in my work. But I have never used it
for the whole object d'Art. Here it really adds
something to the political message of this piece.
These few pieces I've done will lead me to
do more.
Size is 11" x 11" x 1" , black paint, wood, plastic,
metal toys

Wednesday, January 9, 2008

Toy War Assemblage (After Louise)

I've always loved black paint and have used
it a lot in my work. But I have never used it
for the whole object d'Art. Here it really adds
something to the political message of this piece.
Size is 11" x 11" x 1" , black paint, wood, plastic,
metal toys

Tuesday, January 8, 2008

What I Got for Christmas and What I did With Them Assemblage

One of my presents from my Sweetheart (also an
artist her website here) was a bunch of old children blocks.
Below is also another Christmas present from my sweetheart.
Aand below the washboard you can see the assemblage I
made from the gifts.

I had made another assemblage piece awhile back
using the same quote but just in a regular frame.
I was sorry I sold it and wanted to make another piece
The washboard really makes this piece a lot better.
"Momma, I can't pay you back."
No! It is not for sale!

Friday, January 4, 2008

Dogtown Skateboard Deck

Raw skateboard decks were passed out to as variety of artists.
They are to create a piece of art for a fundraising event
for the 18 th Street Art Complex in Santa Monica to be
held in a few months. My piece is a small tribute to the
old Dogtown Z Boys of Venice. The nextdoor neighbor was
involved with the group back in the early days.
(She is briefly seen in the documentary)
I painted the portrait of a shaper from those days (whoes name is
not to be mentioned) on the board. He shows up next door
pretty often and I did a large painting of him a few years ago.
He is known internationally for the great art pieces
he makes out of his shaped boards.