Dr Robyn Coleman MBBS (Syd) ACCAM ASMA ARAS
Robyn was born in Sydney in 1956. She grew up on the Sydney waterways messing about in dinghies at the Dobroyd Sailing Club. This grew into a lifelong obsession when she met and married her husband Anthony who was a keen sailor racing keel yachts on the beautiful Sydney Harbour. Studies, work in Medicine and raising a family intervened in the following years. Robyn completed a Diploma of Visual Arts at the Northbridge School of Visual Arts in 2005. Her daughter Karen was doing a Fine Arts Degree when she suggested in 2006 that Robyn go to the Royal Art Society of NSW because it was a highly regarded community of artists. She trained under Master pastellist Greg Hansell at the Royal Art Society Art School in pastels and earth pastels. Earth pastels are a Unique medium hand made from natural ochre with beautiful durable colours of reds, yellows, oranges and greys that lend themselves so well to the colours of the Australian landscape. With no blue it is an exciting challenge capturing the sea and sky! Greg Hansell F.R.A.S. describes her work as follows: “Robyn has a natural and unique way of expressing the visual reality of people and places that have meaning in her life. The use of natural earth pastels simplifies her palette and lets the natural patterns and designs of the subject come to the front.” Robyn has been admitted as an Associate member of the Royal Art Society and Exhibiting member of the Australian Society of Marine Artists, Mosman Art Society and the Creative Doctors Group. Her work has attracted Commended and Highly Commended Awards including by the Beagle Press Publisher and judge at the Royal Art Society 2024 Autumn and Thora Ungar Memorial Award. It has sold locally, interstate and internationally. She researched and documented a record of the beautiful art collection of the Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron in 2019 for their members’ website and presented her findings in a series of very popular lectures. One of her works ‘ Ned’s Boatyard’ in earth pastels hangs in the the Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron.
Robyn’s Instagram
Robyn’s Website
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Awards & Achievements
Robyn won Commended and Highly Commended Prizes as an Art Student with the Royal Art Society including “The Little Lost Dinghy” which sold at exhibition and received a Highly Commended Award. As an Exhibiting Member, the Publisher of Beagle Press and judge of the 2024 Royal Art Society Autumn and Thora Ungar Memorial Award, Mal Dunkar awarded ‘ Tumut Sunset’ Commended.
Five paintings were selected in the National Exhibition in the Australian Society of Maritime Artists National Exhibition at the Maritime Museum in Hobart from Nov 2019-March 2020. This Exhibition was very successfully staged in conjunction with the 75th Anniversary Race of the Sydney to Hobart. Her painting “Belles Long Ranger” was favorably reviewed by the Mercury Hobart, described as full of drama and action! It depicted one of the first all female crews to complete the race in 1989 and sold to Singapore!
“Supply and Narrabeen”was selected for the Royal Art Society Autumn Exhibition in March 2019. It was completed in beautiful unique handmade Australian earth pastels. It also sold to Singapore!
Finalist in the John Cope Portrait Prize 2020 Bowral Art Society selected by Ben Quilty, Archibald Winner.
She was selected for the Spring and Autumn Exhibitions Royal Art Society NSW since 2018 when she was admitted as an Exhibiting Member.
Finalist in the Northbridge Art Prize July 2018.