Artwork copyright Robin Holder. Photo courtesy of the artist.

Discovery, 1986

Robin Holder
(American, born 1952)

Location: Washougal High School, Washougal

ABOUT THE ARTWORK

Discovery is part of a series of five prints by artist Robin Holder that explore the sentiments surrounding women's empowerment. The other works in the series are titled 'Aspiration', 'Release', 'Wonder' and 'Resurgence'. Featuring bold, layered colors, abstract forms and silhouettes of female figures, Holder notes that the works in this series are symbolic of "an upward and onward motivation and are related to feelings of positive energetic direction."

This artwork was acquired for the State Art Collection in partnership with Washougal School District.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

New Jersey-based artist Robin Holder creates prints, paintings, and site-specific artworks. Her art expresses her experiences as a woman and her multicultural heritage. In her own words, "My work is motivated by my multi-cultural background in which layers upon layers of various racial, economic, cultural and spiritual worlds exist within one family... I am developing a visual language of archetypal symbols from Africa, Native North and South America, and Pharaonic Egypt. I use the spears, shields, vessels, masks, magical wands, birds, pyramids, and temples as symbols of rituals and tools used in the battle for wisdom, strength, tolerance, balance and spiritual growth."

About Holder's process: "I use combinations of photo­silkscreen, color viscosity collagraph, plexiglass, and linoleum. The images are created by cutting out stencils which form the shapes of the Warrior Women, animals, leaves, etc. The stencils are surface-rolled with inks and placed on sheets of inked or painted plexiglass. The plates are then printed on paper using a press... The approach I use is like a collage and my ideas continue to reveal themselves from print to print, like a story, because my stencil shapes are a language that I'm constantly expanding."