Interview with Robin Young: Borrego Springs
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Meet Robin Young: A Creative Visionary in Borrego Springs
Robin Young’s life in Borrego Springs is a blend of creativity, whimsy, and dedication to the arts. As both a visual artist and musician, she continuously pushes artistic boundaries.
Painting with Paper
Living with her husband, John, and their dog, Comet, Robin has developed a unique collage technique she calls "painting with paper." Using magazine clippings, tape, wallpaper, jewelry, and feathers, she layers textures and colors to create immersive works, describing her process as an "analog Photoshop."
Beyond the Canvas
Robin’s artistry extends beyond collages to murals, sculptures, and outdoor installations. Her work blends seamlessly with Borrego Springs’ desert landscape, inviting engagement in unexpected ways. A highlight is her mural at Yellow Woman Ranch, unveiled at the grand opening, which reflects the retreat’s mission of women’s empowerment and self-discovery.
Robin is also active in the Borrego Springs Music Festival, contributing both visually and musically. As a teacher at BAMA (Borrego Academy of Music & Art), she fosters creativity through singing lessons for both children and adults, BAMA as a whole provides a range of musical instruction, including music theory, keyboards, ukulele, drums, and home recording.
Robin’s impact continues to grow, inspiring artists and musicians while ensuring creativity thrives for future generations.
A Symphony of Voices
Robin's talent extends to music, where her captivating voice has delighted audiences across San Diego County. Performing country classics from Patsy Cline to Dolly Parton, she weaves stories through song that resonate deeply.
Let's hear from Robin herself!
1. What pivotal moment ignited your passion for art, setting you on this creative path?
I was painfully shy as a child and art was something fun I could do all by myself so it was perfect for me. I was about 7 years old growing up in La Mesa and back then I liked to draw cartoons like Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck. I would spend hours in my room trying to make my drawings look just like the originals. Years later and I am exactly the same way what my husband calls a “shy performer” spending hours in my own little world just creating.
2. Has a person's reaction to your art stood out to you? What did they say?
I have a very talented daughter in law who is a wonderful artist and a few years ago I had submitted my work to a magazine publication and they asked me for a commentary to attach to my work so because she has a way with words I asked her if she would do it.
“Robin Young’s art is often daring and introspective, but full of color and uncaring of critique. She is, herself, boldly creative and quick witted and these qualities are made inherently obvious in her art. Her desire to be freely artistic under her own terms continues to resonate through her many projects, demonstrating her continued efforts to learn and grow as a creative.” - Kelley McGee
3. How would you describe your unique style and the elements that make your artwork unmistakable?
My bio says I am whimsical, intuitive, lighthearted and that my artistic universe is strange, funky, dark, sometimes perverse and always alluring. That is probably pretty close to correct since I wrote it.
4. What messages or themes do you aim to convey through your work?
For the past 4 years I have created a daily collage postcard size and a little different from the norm. The messages can vary from dark, strange, crazy, scary, funny, poignant, sarcastic, political, just about anything.
5. Can you share a major source of inspiration that consistently fuels your creativity?
My husband John is always a major source of inspiration and encouragement. He is creative, smart, funny, positive and continues to push me out of my quiet introverted ways. He comes up with the titles for many of my small collages and is encouraging me to write more songs.
6. How has your style and approach evolved from when you first began?
Can you walk us through your creative process, from the initial idea to the final piece?
Collage is a form of artwork that is made by assembling different items together to create a new finished work of art and can be filled with many objects and unexpected things. I think that when I started doing collages I thought they had to be perfect but not anymore, my art is more freeform and experimental.
A favorite piece that I created is an owl on a large board 30x42. I drew the general form deciding on the composition and started filling in with things I found around the house, brown paper bag, photos cut up for wings, jewelry for her eyes, orange fabric cloth for skin, masking tape, contact paper moon, a photo of an old fashioned microphone sort of a self portrait with foil, textured green Styrofoam balls for the grass.
I even put some twigs in for fun, just kinda threw a lot of things at it, added a wallpaper mat, frame and titled it Blue Moon.
7. What are your essential tools and mediums, and how do they influence your work?
There are so many different styles of collage and I do them all of them using anything you can glue onto a background. I also put a 50 ft. Labyrinth in our yard using rocks with help from husband John, installed a window for a door and have been putting in solar lights and treasures found in thrift stores over the years to add interest to the path.
I always have a project going a diorama made with puzzle pieces and army men gluing them together to form a large tree is the latest. I do a variety of small to giant collages and also large murals, art installations, 3D string art sculptures and assemblage.
8. How do emotions play a role in your creative process?
It is much like singing or other creative endeavors art is all about emotions and expressing them. As an artist I do it for me, the process, the final product is always a small moment in time. I create for myself and it is great if others like it.
My granddaughter Tess with help from her mom wrote a story of her magical grandmother which I did a collage for. How can you not get emotional over that. I call the collage Grandma's Magical Universe. Sounds like there is a song in there somewhere?
"Most of the kids I know have a regular grandma. Their grandma’s do regular grandma stuff like baking or knitting or taking grandkids to the zoo. My grandma she’s not like the other grandma’s. My grandma is magic and can do the most amazing things. My grandma can turn into other people like Patsy Cline and Loretta Lynn and can sing like them and she plays guitar too.
My grandma is an amazing treasure hunter and finds amazing treasures all over the world like little bowls and cool sculptures. My grandma is a great artist turn paper into fantastic pieces of art. One time my grandma turned old music into a picture of me. She is the best handholder and whenever my grandma holds my hand, magic happens. Because my grandma is magic. "
9. Can you share a piece of work that represents a significant milestone in your artistic journey and the story behind it?
When I retired 4 years ago I started creating a lot of art out here in the desert it just felt like I had the time and I was inspired.
A year ago I was asked by a friend to create a piece of work for his opera The Magic Hummingbird he gave me a guidelines it needed a Saguaro cactus, a big black crow, a cave with a snake opening and a night desert scene.It was the first time someone asked me for art work and I loved the challenge. I took pieces of an old calendar intermingling them to create a background and adding more images from Arizona and Astronomy magazines to it to build up a final image with details.
10. How do your personal experiences and the world around you influence your art?
I care about many issues affecting our nation especially homelessness. My inspiration for Eloise, Queen for a Day was from a story I read about a 61 year old homeless woman living in New York. I clipped out her beautiful face adding glasses and used a base of a golden statue for her crown. The scarf around her neck is a lovely crinoline skirt that once had legs attached turned upside down. I wanted to make her a queen with a crown and a beautiful home to live in surrounded by lovely things. Placing her into the scene to give her a peaceful place to rest because everyone should have at least that.
11. How has technology influenced your artistry?
I like the old ways best, analog art something that I can touch. Because of that there are 1400 small art collages living in boxes in my music room.
12. How do you handle criticism, and has it shaped your artistic journey?
I think we can be our own worst enemy and hardest on ourselves so at this point in my life I just keep it simple and practice kindness and acceptance.
13. Which artists or movements have had a profound impact on your work, and why?
I like Surrealism artists like Salvador Dali also the work of Cubist Pablo Picasso, and Collage artists Georges Braque, Raoul Hausmann and Man Ray.
14. Have you ever collaborated with other artists or creators? What was that experience like?
It has taken me a long time to put my creative side out there for people to see. In A Nutshell was the first piece I submitted for publication it was published in 2021 in The Phoebe Journal. I had been doing art of some kind for many years and it was nice to be noticed.
My work has been published alongside other artist and literary works in over 70 publications since then including;
- The Hole in the Head Review
- Wild Roof Journal
- Full House Literary
- Beyond Words
- Oddball Magazine
- Audience Askew
- Red Cedar Review
- Quibble
- BeaverMag
15. Can you describe your workspace and how it influences your creative process?
I do have a nice art/music room with plenty of space for collaging. I prefer my living room though with a view of the desert facing Fonts Point and my soft orange sofa for my daily “work”. The house is very quiet, our dog Comet outside basking in the sun and talking to coyotes and husband John will be creating in his cave. For the small daily collages supplies are simple, scissors, magazines, card stock, tape and glue stick.
16. How do you keep yourself motivated and continue to innovate in your work?
Being retired and living in a small town helps. There are all these hours in the day that can be filled with whatever I want to do. I'm thinking my next project may be a very large collage owl on the side of our house.
17. What do you hope to achieve with your art in the long term, and how do you envision your artistic legacy?
My passion for art and music was passed down to me by my family and I enjoy doing both every day. I had hoped to do the same and now our family is full of artists, writers, singers, musicians, dancers, designers and composers.
18. In what ways can the community support you and other artists to thrive?
Our community does a great job of supporting the arts; The Borrego Art Institute, The Art Guild, The Borrego Performing Arts Center, Borrego Springs Community Concert Association, The Borrego Music Festival and The Art Walks along with all the small venues in town offering live music. There is so much going on in Borrego Springs we only need to continue to get the word out.
Stay Connected with Robin Young
Engage with Robin Young and immerse yourself in her artistic narrative by following her journey on Instagram at @2songbird. For a deeper dive into her musical projects and upcoming events, visit Always Patsy. Robin appreciates the connection with her audience and looks forward to sharing more of her creative explorations with you.
Learn More About The Arts in Borrego Springs
