Wander this glorious Knoxville cityscape

Posted by Christopher Robin | May 6, 2021 | Our Town Arts

Wander this glorious Knoxville cityscape

UPTOWN - Oil painting by Robin Moore Rohwer

Begonias in the foreground frame Uptown in the heart of a busy downtown.

Painting fate.

Starting from a photograph, I didn’t know how serendipitous this painting would become. Accustomed to working with noise and curious visitors, I need some silence to paint a complex subject. Boy did I get it! The streets went quiet, the studio was quiet, the whole world was quiet as I worked away at this cityscape. Tiny snips of color punctuated the vibrant downtown scene, that had become so still.

Since finishing this work, downtown Knoxville has come back to life. The daily activity has resumed and my art and the world are in harmony. The irony is that our studio-gallery recently moved to this setting in the historic Phoenix Building at 418 South Gay Street. Nestled in the heart of the art and theater area, downtown is pumping with activity. Restaurants, retail, dog walkers, construction projects, pharmacy and ice cream parlors surround our new space. Drop in to visit, possibly on May 7 for the first Friday art walk from 5-8 p.m. Come see this Uptown painting and this now uptown girl.

Photographer Chris and painter Robin Rohwer each week share a painting or photograph that captured their interest. They have a small studio and gallery in the Historic Phoenix Building, 418 South Gay Street. Their website is www.ChristopherRobinArts.com. All works are copyright protected.

About The Author

Christopher Robin

Husband and wife, Chris and Robin Rohwer, collectively under the pseudonym Christopher Robin Chris Rohwer: Photography is one more excuse for me to be outside. Whether traveling the world or in my own back yard, I look to capture interesting subjects with light, lines or action to give the viewer a sense of what I see and feel. Owning a camera dates to my college days but photography only became a serious effort within the last few years. Raised by adventuresome parents, my escapades include hitchhiking through Europe, trekking in Nepal and rafting the Grand Canyon. Adding a camera to my experiences has given me a new perspective of the places we visit. With nearly everything in the world being photographed, my goal is to find another way of seeing things and photographing them differently. Sometimes it works. Professionally my career was in finance with the last 25 years at Home Federal Bank as a commercial banker. Retiring in 2021, I work hard to stay active and on the move. Robin Rohwer: I am always a work in progress. I paint for me. The image speaks to me and needs to be painted. For me, painting is capturing a moment or a feeling in time and place. Preferring to paint on location, in a style known as Plein Air, it is my hope to transport the viewer to my spot, to feel the wind, the smells, and the light that drew me to stop and contemplate painting. Anything may be my subject, no matter how obscure and should convey the energy and mood of the moment. Strong shapes, subtle shifts, light and shadows chorus in my head and my heart to evoke feeling with the viewer - a memory, a love, a need, a calm or a question. When one sees my finished work, it’s a piece of me and a peace in me. I am blessed. Robin and Chris share a small studio and gallery in the Historic Phoenix Building at 418 South Gay Street where we meet the nicest people and share our craft. We have two beautiful daughters and now two wonderful grandsons.

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