The Ohio Artist Registry (OAR) is an exciting opportunity for artists to share their work, connect with the creative community, and establish an online presence—all on a free, virtual platform! The OAR encourages artists working in all art forms, throughout Ohio and beyond, to create a profile, which allows them to better promote themselves and their work. Being listed in the OAR provides artists with new opportunities to share their work with clients, galleries, patrons, and audiences. A listing in the OAR does not confer an endorsement, approval, or verification by the Ohio Arts Council.
For more information, contact Kathy Signorino, artist programs director, at kathy.signorino@oac.ohio.gov or 614-728-6140.
2025 Ohio Artist Registry Juried Exhibition
Nicky Robie
Bio
Nicky Robie was born and raised in Antwerp, Belgium. Her interest in languages brought her to the Ohio State University, where she earned a phd in Spanish language and Literature in 1993. She became interested abstract art when she met and started working at the Clintonville studio of the late Yoshiaki Yoshinari, a Japanese abstract artist. In 2019, she became a resident artist at the High Road Gallery and Studios in Worthington, where she has also participated in various group shows. She is mostly self taught, but has taken a variety of courses to sharpen her skills and technique. Her work has been part of many group and solo exhibits in Columbus. It is also featured in the homes of collectors in Ohio, Florida, Europe and Japan. Nicky is an intuitive, mostly self-taught painter, with an interest in abstract mixed media painting. Some of her works are entirely non-representational, others are semi-abstract with recognizable images. Many of her pieces have heavy palette knife work and bright, rich colors. Mark making, collage, many textures and layers are also common in her pieces. Her intuitive process, especially in her non-representational work, unfolds without preconceived plans or sources. Her studio at The High Road Gallery is open to the public and she enjoys interacting with visitors who often have new and surprising interpretations of her work. She is also collaborating with a local poet on a book that connects words with abstract imagery.
Artist Statement
My feelings and experiences determine the marks, shapes and colors on my canvases. I like to share my art with others in order to connect through visual beauty and the energy of my work. I would like my art to bring joy and positivity to my collectors’ lives, by using harmonious colors, lively shapes and interesting materials. The contours of things and people are not important to me, it’s their essence that I try to capture foremost. Being abstract or semi abstract, this essence can be interpreted in many different ways, always in a collaboration with the viewer.