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Lasting Impressions - The Art and Life of Dorland Robinson By Vickie Aldous Ashland Daily Tidings On April 7, 1917, Tillie Robinson found her daughter, one of the most promising artists ever born in Southern Oregon, dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Regina Dorland Robinson, 25, was buried a few days later in her home town of Jacksonville next to her sister and brother, who had died before her birth at the ages of five and six from diphtheria. It was a tragic - and still mysterious - end for a young woman who executed masterful drawings while still a teen and went on to experiment with Impressionism. Works spanning her brief but prolific career as an artist will be on display at the Southern Oregon Historical Society, 106 N. Central Ave., beginning with a public reception and exhibit preview from 5 to 7 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 14. "She had a real talent. Part of the tragedy is she cut her life short just when she was on the cusp of developing that talent," said Dawna Curler, programs associate for the society. "It's sad to think of all the artwork that was not created. You can really see the potential. We're fortunate to have the artwork that we do have." During the exhibit "Lasting Impressions: The Art and Life of Dorland Robinson," the society will display its entire collection of framed works by the artist, along with others held by private collectors and never seen before in public exhibitions. "This is the most extensive exhibit of her work that has probably ever been done," said Matt Watson, curator of exhibits. "Any art gallery would be proud to have this exhibit. The fact that she was born and raised in Jacksonville makes it even more special. The local link is important." From the beginning, Robinson showed promise as an artist, starting formal art lessons at age 15 and studying in Berkeley, Calif., and Portland. Her skills of observation and draftsmanship show through in a series of charcoal portraits done between 1906 and 1908. Whether capturing the graceful fall of a woman's hand, the strong features of a confident young man or the delicate wrinkles and sharp cheekbones of an elderly woman, Robinson conveys aspects of each sitter's personality. "The charcoals are my favorites," Watson said. "They're the most dramatic. They're almost photo realistic. It's difficult to capture a life-like face." At 19, Robinson went on to study oils and watercolors at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. She then lived in Oakland, California, where she developed contacts with the San Francisco Bay area art community, before returning to Jacksonville several years later. An Impressionistic style - popular in America at the time - became evident in her work, with mixed results. While some paintings are muddied, many show strong gestural strokes and others are suffused with the fleeting light associated with Impressionism. In 1916, the Greater Medford Club, a women's civic group, held a successful exhibition of Robinson's work. The young artist also spent three weeks examining paintings at the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco, of which she said, "To study those indescribable pictures, for hours at a time, is not a task that fatigues; it is an intellectual feast�. I filled three or four notebooks with observations noted while studying their work." Robinson also won recognition for a painting displayed in Portland, and may have planned exhibitions in that city and San Francisco. But she met salesman Charles Henry Pearson and they married soon after on October 25, 1916 in Portland. They were divorced in January of 1917, and rumors swirled of an unwanted pregnancy, bigamy or some other scandal. Robinson appeared to be recuperating from the event in San Francisco, and even had exhibitions at an art shop and high school. Just two days before her death, she wrote to invite a friend to visit her. Curler said art lovers, historians and the public may never know why Robinson took her own life. "As is probably the case with most suicides, the survivors don't know the real reasons," she said. "We're looking at it 80 years back." Historical society hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday. Admission is by donation except for society members. Information for this article was provided by Dawna Curler, with additional information from an article on Robinson by Sue Waldron published in the summer 1992 issue of Table Rock Sentinel. LINKS: REVELS: Main | Calendar | Dining | Movies | T.V. DAILY TIDINGS: Main | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Opinion | Columnists | AP News | Subscribe | Archives | Weather | Classifieds | Contact Us | Privacy Copyright 2003 Ashland Daily Tidings 541.482.3456. 1661 Siskiyou Blvd., Ashland, OR 97520. Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. - Advertisers -