Robbi is a photographer and a digital image creator. Creating an image may be as simple as a few enhancements to a photograph or it may involve complex technical manipulations that abstract one or more photographs into an image that is her version of altered reality. Abstraction allows her to show the potential that her mind perceives, not just what her eyes and the camera see.
Robbi lives in a semi-rural area in Northern Illinois. She lived in the Twin Cities area of Minnesota for most of her life until retirement led to the move to Illinois. She earned both a Bachelor’s Degree and a Master’s Degree from the University of Minnesota.
She worked in healthcare for forty years as a Medical Laboratory Scientist and Educator. Between family life and career she didn’t have the time or opportunity to explore her artistic side until after retirement. She thought of herself primarily as a scientist during her working-life, but used her creativity for problem-solving in the laboratory and designing education units and methods.
Although she had an interest in photography she didn’t get beyond the point-and-shoot stage until after she retired from her career. She bought a DSLR camera and enrolled in photography classes at the Regenstein School of the Chicago Botanic Garden. She started out in a program for documenting nature but soon discovered that she enjoyed the courses in fine art and abstract photography. She has now completed two certificate programs at the school.
Through these courses, she explored techniques for post-processing using computer software to create works of art from her photographs. Her science and technology background now enhance her creative skills. She finds great joy in shooting a beautiful photograph but also tremendous fulfillment when she finds hidden beauty in her photographs through post-processing. When wandering with her camera she is drawn to the graceful shapes in nature as well as to vibrant color. Though much of the year in the northern clime where she lives is lacking in color, she can find it in her photographs with the help of her computer. She has found that image creation provides therapy, a means to find and create an altered world of beauty and potential.
