“Immovable” was painted throughout the Covid months of 2020 and 2021 and became an emblem for emotions during this time. At the beginning of 2020 we naively faced the prospects of a global pandemic. By mid 2021 the reality had hit, with over 182 million cases of the virus reported worldwide and around 4 million deaths (then climbing to over 767 million reported cases and around 7 million deaths by mid 2023). As time progressed, and through multiple Covid lockdowns (eventually totalling six, across a total of 262 days), this portrait transitioned from a study of beauty to a focus on isolation, ferocious willpower, resilience and personal strength in the face of extreme adversity and suffering. The painting took on a greater sense of the dramatic, with increased tension, and a focus on the challenges and determination.

This piece is typical of many of Robyn’s works where oil is painted over “Dodgy Paper” mounted to board. This paper provides a beautiful substrate for the artwork where the paint is applied in transparent glazes to reveal remnants of the paper pulp showing through the paint. This technique maintains a beautiful texture and fascinating array of unexpected visual surprises for the viewer such as newsprint. “Dodgy Paper” isn’t all that dodgy – in fact it’s incredibly resourceful and sustainable, hand soaked, chunked, machine pulped, hand pulled, hand pressed and hand harvested paper, made locally in Melbourne by the artist’s friend.