Terry Robison was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia and raised in Cobourg, Ontario. His ability to see creative potential in everyday objects began as a child. Much to his mother's dismay he was constantly bringing home "stuff". Over the years this natural inclination developed into an artistic expression that allows him to create the extraordinary out of the ordinary.
His "recycled" art objects can be found in private collections around the world...his rock sculptures belong to the beaches and waters off English Bay.
Artist Statement:The work I do on the beaches in an around Vancouver is something that began quite spontaneously as a tribute to my brother Neil who died in 1987. It was a personal expression that, over the years and with the death of so many others, just naturally evolved as an artistic form. Some people call them Inukshuks or cairns and others just call them stacked rocks but I have never really used any one word for them.
The other art I do allows me to create things that are unique and functional. Most of the materials I use are reclaimed from the alleys throughout the city. When I see something broken I don't think about fixing it, I see all the individual components and am inspired to create something around it leaving as much of the original as possible while at the same time creating something new.
Whether it's a large rock sculpture or a small piece of functional art, I really enjoy the experience of building something that is very tactile in nature. It's art that people want to touch and to examine. It's an opportunity to explore the individual parts as well as the whole; a chance to experience the familiar and the unfamiliar in the same moment. In a way, my artwork is an expression of life and the world we live in...everything is always evolving.
In the words of someone very dear to me, "Art is something that few truly understand but all have an opinion of."
Articles & Interviews:
"Steady As A Rock", Where Vancouver
"The Singular Creative Vision of a Junkyard Dog", Georgia Straight
"oh la la Toronto", excerpt from television interview
