Robyn Rich paints eyes. Miniature eyes in oils, nestled into antique spoons, vintage tins, and forgotten vessels. Each eye, no larger than a coin, captures a human face reduced to a single feature.
Born in Melbourne in 1971, Rich studied Visual Arts at Chisholm Frankston. She works with found and recycled objects, giving them what she calls “another life.” Her inspiration comes from a centuries-old tradition: Georgian Lover’s Eyes, miniature portrait paintings that isolated a single eye as a symbol of intimacy.
Rich paints real people into this tradition. Friends. Strangers. Eyes from historical portraits. She describes the work this way: “With a love of reusing and recycling, the found objects I use give a simple and often nostalgic canvas, which offers little distraction, allowing the beauty of the eye to be the focus. These objects that we use every day are often taken for granted, overlooked, and forgotten, but in my work, they have another life and help tell a story.”
The objects are essential to her practice. Spoons, tins, and vessels were made for daily use. Painting eyes on them transforms their function. A spoon becomes something to contemplate, not just to eat with. A tin becomes a surface for intimate portraiture.
Currently, Rich is developing THE SEEN, a project of approximately one hundred anonymous eyes painted on found objects. The eyes come from people around the world. Each is numbered, not named. This collection will be exhibited at Hidell Brooks Gallery in Charlotte, North Carolina in 2027.
Rich’s practice is rooted in preservation and reuse. Old objects are given new purpose. Forgotten things are brought into focus. The eye becomes the vehicle for this transformation.
