Robin de Lavis is the recipient of many awards for her work that is collected throughout the world. After completing her studies in Design and Computer Graphics, she was awarded a scholarship to study under Russian iconographer Vladislav Andrejev. This was followed by a full Scholarship to the Vancouver Film School to study Classical Animation. The contemplative nature of the Icon, combined with the drawing discipline required for animation and the training in design are now coming together in her latest body of work which includes 'The Sound of the Sun Going Down'.
"As a young adult I was drawn into the Canadian Post-War, Post-Depression myth that was prevalent in the 50' and 60's; the idea that a 'log cabin in the wilderness' where life could be lived in independence without the interference of government or social constructs would be the route to true freedom. Hitchhiking throughout Canada led me to Haida Gwaii where I spent some time and was deeply influenced by the people I met there. My journey gave me the opportunity to talk to many people who had lived through the Depression. In an era when a stranger was made welcome, I sat in their kitchens and listened to their stories. They taught me a lot about what is really important in this life: our families and relationships and a small space that we can call home. After buying some land, I spent five years raising my two older children living in relative isolation in a one-room cabin without running water, telephone or electricity. To access this property, I had to walk half a mile through bear and cougar territory to get to my home. I discovered that isolation can be a doorway into spiritual awareness, and that the silence and struggle of that time was the doorway to the beginning of my creative process."
"Dominating Hornby Island is the dome of Mt Geoffrey. Paths have been carved out from years of people walking along the many trails. When you walk along the cliff edges and look out over Denman Island and down the Straight of Georgia, the view never fails to take the breath away. I am always drawn to the tenaciousness of the trees that grow along the edge of these bluffs, seeming to exist on nothing but rocks and air. 
