Robin Ashby
An artist, writer and historian. Robin's path to art started in Marshallton, PA, where he was surrounded by his grandfather's watercolor art and had a fortuitous opportunity to work at Andrew Wyeth's Chadds Ford home as a teen. His global professional career in IT engineering, audit and compliance took him to France, Florida, and back to his native Chester County. As a welcome diversion from the rigors of corporate work, he pursued training in bookbinder and paper marbling, eventually shifting his entire practice to paper marbling and decorated paper.
History guides Robin's artistic pursuits. In addition to his own art, he researches and writes about art topics. His recent book, The Industrialist's Brush, explores the work and life of his grandfather, Harry Cann, paying tribute to Can's contribution to American mid-century industry as well as his Chester County watercolor landscapes.
Robin's work is inspired by the great artistic and cultural traditions of European and Ottoman marblers. The ancient art of marbling faces extinction as modernity presses it to the margins. Robin works to reanimate traditional marbling methods and bring new vigor and creativity to this rich artform.
Robin studied paper marbling with Dan and Regina St.
John of Chena River Marblers in Massachusetts, and with marbling artists in France and Germany. He teaches paper marbling at The School for Bookbinding Arts in Winchester, VA, The John C. Campbell Folk School in Brasstown NC, and the Chadds Ford Historical Society in Chadds Ford, PA. His work is part of the permanent collection of the German National Library's Decorated Paper archive in Leipzig.
