Robinson often takes a clear plastic water tank with him on fishing trips that last several days. He captures fish in a tank of seawater so he can take extensive photographs of his specimens.
"There's nothing like being able to go right up there. I have over 30,000 photos of fish I've caught," he said. "From the tank I can look at it from the top, the front, its sides. I have quite a library—over 60 different species." When he's finished taking photographs, he returns most of the fish to their natural environment.
Aiding Conservation
Robinson's concern for nature is reflected in his work for grassroots conservation causes and outdoors groups. He has done illustrations for organizations such as Trout Unlimited, Atlantic Salmon Federation, and the Coastal Conservation Association.
For the past four years he has been working with California Trout, a group that studies and cleans up California's inland waterways and works to prevent poaching of wildlife. The group commissioned "the map guy" to create a topographic painting of 12 species of trout native to the region. The artwork will be published as a poster and calendar to raise funds for the group.
"I never have any money, but what I do have is a lot of artwork. Every year I donate tens of thousands of dollars in artwork," he said. "It's my way to give something back and make an impact and do what I love to do."
Robinson supports his work through sales of his illustrated maps, commissions for book illustrations, and the operations of a graphics company he owns.
From historic maps showing the routes of the Gold Rush to government nautical maps, the range of maps that Robinson can use as a background for his artwork is almost endless.
He is currently illustrating a map that a California adventurer annotated with topographical descriptions and markings of where he found various species of fish while hiking through the Sierras. Another project is a private commission. "[The client] in the Air Force, stationed in England, had Springer spaniels," said Robinson. "We're finding English maps for him right now, and I'm going to paint portraits of his dogs and a hunting scene so he can remember where he spent 12 years."
Robinson also hopes his work can be used to educate children and the general public about wild species and their native habitats. He recently completed a four-by-six-foot mural for the Magic Wings Butterfly Conservatory in Deerfield, Massachusetts, which features 60 species found in various regions across the continental United States.
Work such as this, along with similar games and puzzles, would enable people to better appreciate the intimate connection between geography and nature, Robinson believes.
"We're trying to go more in that direction," he said, "so people can actually learn something from a piece of artwork."
|
SOURCES AND RELATED WEB SITES
|
