Artist Explores African American Experience on Canvas

The inspiration for Robbie Best’s art is summed up by a statement on her website:

“The most consistent theme in my work is that of visibility because I recognize that historically black people have generally been rendered invisible,” Best writes.

That theme carries through in all of her powerful paintings and collages, three of which are on display at the at .  One piece, titled “Tubman’s Passage,” represents a slave’s journey from south to north.

Best didn’t approach the painting with the intention of telling that story.

“I had no idea what I was going to do when I went over to the canvas that day,” Best said.  “After I started, it just came to me. I was really inspired in that piece.”

In December 2009, Best’s work was selected for a show at the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History in Detroit.  “Life for Me: The Artwork of Robbie Best” was on display for five months and featured 36 works.

The title of the show was taken from the name of the collage at the center of the display, "Life for Me."  The piece was inspired by a Langston Hughes poem, “Mother to Son.”

“It’s about black women and their experience in this country,” Best said. “There are lots of black women with college degrees that still have to do manual labor to make a living.”

One of Best’s favorite paintings, “Depth,” was purchased by Henry Ford West Bloomfield Hospital and hangs in its Artist Avenue Gallery.  She used a staining technique in which she dilutes the oil paint and then manipulates it on the canvas without a brush, adding layers as she goes. Best has used this process with other paintings, including “Tubman’s Passage.”

Creating art is spontaneous for Best. She never starts with a sketch, even when she has an idea in her mind.

“When I have tried to start with a sketch, my hands take over and do what they want,” she said.  “It’s that interplay between the hand, the canvas, and the mind.”

Best hopes people will look at the layers in her art, just as she hopes they also see the layers of her culture. 

“I want to tell a story with my art,” said Best.  “If that comes across in my work, then I’m successful.”

To see Best’s artwork and learn how to purchase one of her pieces, visit robbiebest.com.