RJack Art

10/12/2026

The companion to "1987" is called "Miami." The story is the same, this piece provides place instead of time. The palette of mint green, soft peach and various maps indicate it's space within Miami in 1987. She stands at 72X60 and includes mixed media of charcoal, chalk and oil pastel, silk kimono fabric, antique book pages, antique flash cards, antique sewing patterns, Chinese calendar pieces from 1987 and antique maps. Made during my residency at the Torrance Art Museum this last August.

10/08/2026

Sometimes I take months to know what my paintings are about and what I was connecting to at the time. I am not sure why this painting showed up when it did, something triggered me deep while in residence at Torrance Art Museum this past August. Maybe it was the overwhelming imposter syndrome?

This painting is called "1987." I was a senior graduating high school in Miami, FL. For a long time before, I knew I had something different about me. Back then, I didn't have the words to explain the internal chaos I felt, I didn't even know I was coping so hard. I navigated a fractured childhood environment by becoming an expert at self-deprecation, hyper-performance, and people-pleasing...habits that felt natural but eventually hardened into a decades-long battle with anorexia, orthorexia and OCD. When trying to control my outer world became too exhausting, I turned to the only thing I could control... my body.

My two newest abstract paintings are a journey right back to that pivotal year.

The base of these pieces holds the confusion and isolation of that teenage version of me in 1987. I had support systems, my faith, my family, my very good friends, but my internal environment quietly ruled my mind.

The paintings begin with a Miami palette of 1987 but transform into a journey of discovery, acceptance, healing, and moving on. Passages of gesture feel smooth until interrupted by collage. Strokes run vertical and horizontal, layering feelings over each other. Moments of complete control and many random, naturally unbridled drips over negative space give you pause. You witness a visual archaeology of my past. They are artifacts of survival, proving that we can acknowledge where our armor was built, while choosing to lay it down.

These paintings are part of "The Architecture of Becoming" series, a collection of work exploring how our internal lives can take physical form. I consider this pair the prequel to the other 5 paintings exploring how our internal landscapes are developed and built.

They are quite human and vulnerable but hopeful and meaningful. 76X60 Mixed Media on Canvas.

I will be writing a full, deep backstory on my Substack soon.

09/23/2026

“To Love Somebody” is the 4th painting in the “Architecture of Becoming” series. She was made as a response to losing a loved one and feeling grateful for life. I was so, so thankful for the time to paint at Torrance Art Museum this August. Having the company of a talented cohort, the energy of the public, and the freedom to experiment pushed my work forward in ways I haven’t seen yet. The fabric purposefully comes into the viewers space as an exclamation of emotion. Each painting was named after favorite Bee Gee songs I listened to while creating. Strangely the titles were appropriate to my emotions, and seemed fitting. She stands 76X65, made with acrylic, oil, fabric, ephemera and waxed thread on canvas. TAM Torrance Art Museum

09/22/2026

“How Deep is Your Love?” 72X 60. Mixed media on canvas including my grandmother’s table cloth, sewing patterns, maps and books pages. Acrylic, oil, fabric, paper and thread on canvas. Made during my residency at the Torrance Art Museum. No. 3 in a series called, “Architecture of Becoming.”

09/15/2026

"Stayin Alive" was created during my residency with Torrance Art Museum this August 2026. It was directly related to feeling grateful for life after loss and feeling the need to return to oil paint and "live a little."

It's the second piece in a series of six paintings exploring our human internal architectures through color, material, gesture, and experimentation.

Each work was named for a Bee Gees song that accompanied me during a breakthrough period in the studio, (nod to Max Presneill, director of TAM) when I began pushing beyond my established methods and allowing the work to become more experimental.

09/11/2026

New Work, New Direction

"Capture" expresses the moments we all move through, grief, joy, fear, and everything in between. As I became interested in bringing the work beyond the surface of the canvas, I began incorporating fiber, hand-sewing it into the painting and allowing parts of it to extend and dangle into the viewer’s space.

The added dimension became a way to give physical form to big emotion, while also inviting the viewer to come closer. The work is part of my ongoing exploration of our internal architectures, the structures shaped by our thoughts, memories, and experiences, and how they continue to shape us from the inside out. 5.5 × 13 feet and is mixed media on canvas. This and more in showrooms from my archive: https://www.artworkarchive.com/rooms/robin-jack-sarner/57a595

09/07/2026

Are you jumping back into your passion? My podcast with the Gurlish Gurus has JUST dropped…
I was recently asked to join the Joy and Lorraine for a discussion on what happens when we put our passion on hold to later pick it up two decades later. Can we jump back in? What are the challenges for 50+ women (or anyone re-entering) especially in the creative field? The discussion covers what it takes to get started again, how to persevere, plus some encouragement. We had a lot of fun and learned that we are all in the same boat!

Podcast Episode · Girlish Gurus · September 7 · 1h 4m

09/05/2026

Newest Substack just dropped! Big revelations, a pivotal moment, a new direction in my creative practice. HUGE. It’s all in there.

Link in bio or copy paste: https://rjsarner.substack.com/p/21-days-14-paintings-1-radical-shift?r=elsms&utm_medium=ios

09/04/2026

Hey locals, join me this Saturday for a free, behind the scenes, look at the process of creating my paintings! All you need is your curiosity. Thank you to TAS and PVAC for this opportunity.

09/03/2026

Over 50 and re-entry feels complicated? I get it! Join me and the Girlish Gurus for an uplifting podcast dropping 9/7 whenever you listen! 🎧 https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/girlish-gurus