Rescued By Dogs: One Artist’s Story

“Negro,” 2018, acrylic on cabinet door, Robbin Robertson

“Blanco,” 2018, acrylic on cabinet door, Robbin Robertson

“Rescue Angel,” 2017, acrylic on paper, Robbin Robertson

“Yoda & the Eclipse,” 2024, acrylic on paper, Robbin Robertson

I was raised with a house full of rescue pups. And I’m convinced that the dogs I thought I rescued have, in reality, saved me in my own darkest hours.

My Maltipoo Yoda is just 12 pounds. How can so much love exist in such a little body? Yet every day, this tiny thing teaches me to be kinder, more loving, and more present.

Yoda is also my muse. As a fourth-generation, self-taught folk artist, I was originally inspired by traveling with my woodworker artist mother, Mary Robertson. Today, my art reflects the colors, patterns, and spiritual symbolism drawn from my own far-flung journeys to the Caribbean, Mexico, Guatemala, Peru, Panama, Costa Rica, and Thailand.

But dogs are never far from my thoughts - or from my easel. These days, I spend my free time painting and sailing in the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean with my husband Derek. Of course, our rescue pup Yoda is also aboard, continuing to provide inspiration both on the water and off.

Dogs are our angels, our family, and a constant in my art. I’m so grateful to have been rescued all my life.