PAUL ROBBERT AND OTHERS (A Watermarks 2012 Conference Exhibit)

Paul Robbert (1928 – 2008) Professor ofArtWesternMichiganUniversity1958 - 1998 For 30 years Paul Robbert explored various approaches to making paper art using pulp as a medium in its own right. In order to do so he studied the chemistry of paper, consulted experts, and established his paper mill containing equipment practically all of which he constructed himself. His background as a painter and printmaker easily translated into image making using paper. Paper’s flexibility and directness made the medium particularly intriguing to him. Pulp could be manipulated to create ragged or hard edges. Color could be made to ooze or bleed into surrounding areas. Texture and overlapping shapes could be incorporated into the work at any stage. In all cases, the imagery became physically integrated with the support, solving one of the issues intrinsic to painting. Robbert’s imagery involves the use of abstract icons and geometric forms, derived for the most part from the unconscious intuition