Robin grew up in the Washington, DC area where the Smithsonian Institution and the Virginia countryside were inspirations.  Combining her love of art and science she majored in printmaking and botany at Bennington College.  After years of illustrating trade books, textbooks, medical journals, and magazines, parenthood inspired Robin to create art for children’s picture books.

The first picture book Robin illustrated was I Am An Artist, written by Pat Lowery Collins.  Created with graphite and watercolor, it is considered a classic about creativity and has been in print for more than fifteen years.  Over time Robin’s experiments with different art techniques - traditional and contemporary painting, drawing, printmaking, fiber arts, jewelry, bookbinding, calligraphy, and papermaking - all came together.  These explorations laid the groundwork for the unique sculpted watercolor technique Robin has developed.  In 1995 she had a “eureka” moment when she began cutting paper with scissors and hand shaping it into realistic leaves, birds, and insects.  She went on to paint and glue the sculpted paper into three-dimensional works of art, creating paintings that lift off the page.  Wendy Pfeffer’s book, A Log's Life, showcased Robin’s unique three-dimensional illustration style and received many awards.  Since then Robin illustrated Midnight in the Cemetery, Starfish, Beaks, One Night In the Coral Sea, and Wings using her three -dimensional style.

In addition to illustrating books Robin loves to lead workshops based on her art.  Adults and children learn about science, habitats, creativity, and the art of picture books in schools, libraries, and museums. Robin exhibits her three -dimensional paintings nationally and is developing her own book projects.
For information about Robin’s exhibits, books, school workshops, and awards please visit her website: http://www.RobinBrickman.com.