Five years ago this summer, artist Robin Hiers came full circle with her Laguna Beach roots. That’s when she left Colorado and moved back to the beach.
Hiers had made a name for herself as an artist in the Boulder area, but wanted to move back to California because she missed her family, the lifestyle and the beauty of the coast.
Hiers fondly remembers riding bikes as a young girl with friends in her Top of the World neighborhood and watching her parents, John and Lee, help co-found the Sawdust Festival and Art-A-Fair. It was an exciting time for the young artist. Hiers even had a booth at the Art-A-Fair when she was 8. The Daily Pilot dubbed her “Laguna’s youngest art pro.”
Hiers’ parents always had art galleries in Laguna. One was The Pink Palette. It was located across the street from where Mozambique is today. Young Robin used to lay on the gallery floor and draw. She knew one day she would paint happy, bright paintings. For fun, she would invite her TOW friends and their parents to play “art gallery.” They would tape their pictures on the wall. As Hiers tells it, “Everything was for sale.”
“I knew from a very early age, I was destined to become an artist,” she says.
Today, Hiers’ work, paintings of tanned, bikini-clad young women, is a celebration of the Southern California lifestyle. Hiers often times paints scenes at The Deck in Laguna Beach, where beautiful people enjoy life and take selfies. “It has become a huge part of my success, to have my work displayed there in that fun environment,” the artist notes.
“I want my pieces to remind people of happy times. I grew up with a mom who painted, loved Champagne brunches, and Bossa nova music. My dad was my biggest fan and saw my ‘brand’ potential even when I was little,” Hiers says.
“I paint fun memories because it’s what I know. I’m all about a slightly glamorous lifestyle, done with a retro twist. And don’t forget, the people in my paintings have a sassy smile to them. I have many ideas in my head. I am never not working. But then it really isn’t work when you love what you do, is it? It’s my passion,” she says. “Gallery owner Bridgette Shaw and I have a kismet relationship. The Laguna Gallery of Contemporary Art (LGOCA) is the perfect gallery for me. Can you believe it? I paint, laugh, and sell art right on the beach. Coming back to Laguna has become my American Dream,” Hiers concluded.
Learn more about Hiers at http://www.robinhiersart.com
