Robyn Asquini

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Robyn Asquini explores the relationship between the individual and their environment, how we respond to chaos or calm, and the healing power of nature.

Toronto-based artist, Robyn Asquini studied classical painting at the Academy of Realist Art in Toronto, where she now teaches. She also holds a degree from Parsons School of Design. Her award-winning work has been exhibited internationally and featured in numerous publications. We learned more about her work in a recent conversation.

Your recent work focuses on combining realistic figures with abstract elements. How did you develop this concept?

My current work was shaped by my dual background in fine art and design. Also, working as a commercial illustrator and art director for 10 years sharpened my visual intuition and gave me the confidence to blend diverse styles together.

The organic forms in these pieces seem to move through space like waves. What do they represent?

I like that the abstract elements in my work are open to interpretation. For me, they represent the push and pull between ourselves and our environment — how we are both shaped by, and sometimes disconnected from, the world around us. There’s a fluidity and tension in how we interpret our experiences and emotions in response to the calm or chaos of our surroundings. I’m especially interested in how the external world can fragment us or, conversely, how being in nature can bring us back to ourselves and help us feel more whole.

All of my figurative paintings are titled after natural phenomena because I am grounding the figure in nature. These flowing forms are a way to express that connection and tension: the invisible currents that pass between us and the world we live in.

How do you determine the color palette for a particular painting?

The background hues in my paintings are usually drawn directly from the subject’s skin tones, which helps create a sense of unity across the picture plane. I typically photograph my models in natural light so I can observe the subtle shifts in hue, chroma, and value that are unique to each individual, adjusting my palette to reflect their unique undertones — warmer tones for some, cooler for others.

Over time, I’ve noticed a strong seasonal influence in my palette. In the cold Canadian winters, I tend to gravitate toward cooler tones — blues, grays, and greens — while in summer, my work often shifts into warmer reds, yellows, and vibrant earth tones.

Many of my subjects are fellow creatives, and I draw from their personal style, energy, and even the mood of their own work to determine my palette. It’s a conversation between the subject, the environment, and the emotional undercurrent of the painting.

What are you trying to convey to viewers in these paintings?

I want these paintings to feel timeless, grounded in strong design principles and classical painting methods, but filtered through a contemporary lens. The choices I make — pose, composition, color, inclusion of adornments like jewelry or tattoos — are intentional and help place the subject in a contemporary context.

Ideally, the work invites a quiet dialogue, prompting the viewer to reflect on both the subject and themselves — how they see others and how they see themselves in relation to the world around them.

Learn more about Asquini’s art and workshops at www.robynasquini.com or @robynasquini.

All images © Robyn Asquini, shared with permission.