Dame Robin Adair White DNZM is a well-known New Zealand painter and printmaker. Raised in Auckland, White graduated from Elam School of Fine Arts in 1967, where she was taught by Colin McCahon, whom she sites as a major influence. In 1969, she moved to Bottle Creek in the suburb of Paremata in Porirua, Wellington to teach art at Mana College. While there, she taught herself to screenprint and reproduce images from her paintings. She also befriended many local artists and writers.
Robin White is mainly known for her earlier images of iconic buildings set in landscape, portraits of family or friends, and symbolic 'New Zealand' toys like the Buzzy Bee. Immediately recognisable, these feature bright light, unmodulated flat planes, and clear shapes and colour, following a tradition of 'Pacific light' and continuing the regionalism perpetuated by Christopher Perkins, Rita Angus, Michael Smither, and Don Binney.
In the 1980s after a brief period in Dunedin, White moved to Kiribati and developed an interest in woodblocks and local imagery. This influence is evident in works such as Beginners' guide to Gilbertese (1983) .
In 1996, after a fire destroyed the contents of her studio, White became involved with community pandanus leaf weaving, barkcloth (tapa), and piupiu projects, realising that a community effort could achieve spectacular results. Three years later, White returned to Aotearoa New Zealand and helped set up a group of Tongan and Fijian collaborators for weaving in Masterton.
Further information: https://www.aucklandartgallery.com/article/robin-white-s-beginner-s-guide-to-gilbertese