James I. Robb (born 1933) is a Canadian artist known for his paintings celebrating the life, culture and history of the
Yukon.
Early life
Robb was born in 1933 in
Quebec City,
Quebec, and moved to
Montreal with his family when he was six years’ old. In 1955, Robb moved to the
Yukon, and currently resides in
Whitehorse. Robb worked various jobs in the Yukon until eventually taking up painting.
Career
Robb began his artistic career working with
pastel
A pastel () is an art medium in a variety of forms including a stick, a square a pebble or a pan of color; though other forms are possible; they consist of powdered pigment and a binder. The pigments used in pastels are similar to those use ...
s and
charcoal
Charcoal is a lightweight black carbon residue produced by strongly heating wood (or other animal and plant materials) in minimal oxygen to remove all water and volatile constituents. In the traditional version of this pyrolysis process, cal ...
on raw moose hide, eventually finding his way to
watercolour paintings and
photography.
Robb attempts to capture the folklore of the Yukon in his paintings,
and is widely known for his rustic depictions of contemporary and historic Yukon landmarks and buildings. Robb’s artistic style, known as “
exaggerated truth”, takes inspiration from Yukon’s famous lopsided and leaning structures, particularly those found in
Dawson City,
which is exemplified by his 2015 painting, ''Kissing Buildings''. Robb’s work is widely featured in books, magazines and newspapers,
with originals of his watercolours selling for thousands of dollars (
CAD
Computer-aided design (CAD) is the use of computers (or ) to aid in the creation, modification, analysis, or optimization of a design. This software is used to increase the productivity of the designer, improve the quality of design, improve co ...
).
Robb is also the author of ''The Colourful Five Per Cent'', the first volume of which was published in 1984. Each softcover volume contains an assortment of unique photographs, sketches, paintings and essays, and tells the stories of the Yukon’s most extraordinary inhabitants.
Honours
Robb was awarded the
Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal
The Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal (french: link=no, Médaille du jubilé d'or de la Reine Elizabeth II) or the Queen's Golden Jubilee Medal was a commemorative medal created in 2002 to mark the 50th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II's ...
in 2002,
and appointed a
Member of the Order of Canada
The Order of Canada (french: Ordre du Canada; abbreviated as OC) is a Canadian state order and the second-highest Award, honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit.
To coincide with ...
on October 30, 2003, in recognition of his artistic achievements.
See also
*
Joseph Tisiga (artist)
*
Shane Wilson (sculptor)
*
Ted Harrison (painter)
References
External links
Jim Robb CollectionLocal stories about Jim Robb
{{DEFAULTSORT:Robb, Jim
1933 births
Living people
Anglophone Quebec people
Artists from Quebec City
Artists from Yukon
Canadian male painters
People from Whitehorse
20th-century Canadian painters
21st-century Canadian painters
20th-century Canadian male artists
21st-century Canadian male artists