Chehalis Resident Becomes Artist During Pandemic

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A quick look at one of Kelly Robinson’s paintings and one might guess she’s been painting for years. In reality, Robinson, a Chehalis native, only just got into painting in March 2020 as a way to pass the time and relieve stress during the stay-at-home orders near the beginning of the pandemic. 

It started with watching Bob Ross painting tutorials on YouTube. Ross was the host of “The Joy of Painting,” an instructional TV show that aired from 1983 to 1994 on PBS. She began to notice that watching his old videos took away her stress.

“With how stressful this last year has been, it’s another tool to kind of help,” Robinson said.

She and her husband, son and daughter often have family nights, and she came up with the idea that they could all do canvas paintings together. After the first night, she realized she really liked painting. She kept at it over the next few months, creating close to 10 paintings and selling them on Facebook Marketplace. 

Then, for some reason, she ended up taking a break from painting for about six months until late December 2020. On New Year’s Eve, she finally decided she wanted to do a painting. It turned out to be the picturesque Multnomah Falls, a large waterfall near the Columbia River Gorge about 35 miles east of Portland.

“I just wanted to share it with somebody,” Robinson said. 

Most of Robinson’s paintings are inspired by Bob Ross and are of scenic landscapes. One of the big things she focuses on is lighting, just like Ross, and when she paints with family, she’ll often give advice. 

“I feel like I’m still trying to learn so much,” Robinson said. “With each painting I learn a little more. I just start going and I kind of get lost in it. I know that sounds cheesy, but it’s true. And it really does help with stress.”

Robinson, who is a paraeducator for the Chehalis School District, is a perfectionist. She often finishes a painting, then goes back and makes little corrections to it each day.  

“I’m very methodical,” Robinson said. “I don’t like taking a lot of risk. Excitement sometimes, even good excitement, can be very overwhelming for me … I definitely have moments where I have to remember to take a second and be proud of myself for trying something new.”

The first painting she was comfortable sharing with others and intended to sell was of Haystack Rock, a 235-foot intertidal boulder located on Cannon Beach, Oregon. The idea came from posting on Facebook and asking her friends and family the type of painting they would like to have. She received a lot of beach references, including Haystack Rock, a place she had visited with her family in a past.

So she got a picture of it during a time when the tide and water have receded a bit and the rock reflects off the saltwater like a mirror. 



“I just had this feeling, I was like, ‘I’m going to paint this and I’m going to sell it and it’s going to turn out good,” Robinson said. “There was never a second where I doubted it.”

She put it on Facebook Marketplace and her sister-in-law saw it, called Robinson and said, “Don’t sell the painting, we’re going to buy it.” She’s glad family bought it so she can go see it from time to time when she visits.

Now, Robinson has created about 10 paintings and has sold four, so far, in her small, burgeoning art business. Though the majority of them are of the outdoors and landscapes, more specifically rocks and water, she’s also found she has the ability to branch outside that area.

She had someone request two custom paintings, after they say her Haystack Rock piece. The paintings were a recreation of a photo of their puppy on its first birthday. It was the first time she had painted a face.

“That was really fun,” Robinson said. “I need something for inspiration. I need to be able to see it to paint it. Photos would be the easiest.”

She said it’s rewarding painting affordable pieces of artwork that the average person can hang in their living room and feel good about. Art isn’t just for rich people, she said. She thinks art can be and should be affordable for everyone. Her Multnomah Falls piece, which was 24-by-30 inches, recently sold for $100.

Robinson welcomes requests and is willing to go outside her comfort zone to paint a photo of whatever anyone wants. For those interested in requesting a painting or seeing what she has for sale, email her at raquelrobinson82@gmail.com, or message her on Facebook at  facebook.com/kelly.robinson.925059.

More Information on Kelly Robinson art

Owner: Kelly Robinson

Location: Chehalis

Email: raquelrobinson82@gmail.com

Social media: facebook.com/kelly.robinson.925059

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Reporter Eric Trent can be reached at etrent@chronline.com. Visit chronline.com/business for more coverage of local businesses.