Avid snorkeler and certified scuba diver Robin Freeman has emerged as St. Croix’s new artist. Come see! “Digital Sea-Inspired Collages” by Robin will open at the new Joyia Inspirational Jewelry location on Queen Cross Sreet. Art Thursday, Dec. 19 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. and going through Jan. 9.
Freeman began her digital journey of photographing sea creatures by taking shots of fish and the reef. “When you first get a camera in your hands and you’re in the water, you just want to snap, snap, snap.”
“There’s so much beautiful stuff!”
Where it became difficult for Freeman was when she decided she wanted to take a little bit better quality for her digital collage collection. “I ruined two used phones, so I stayed away from it [taking photos] for a while. Then I got a new phone and I was, like … I can’t do this. I can’t ruin a new phone.”
Three to four years passed. “I couldn’t stand it anymore. I wanted to take photos underwater, so I got a little better quality cover for my phone, and in March 2022, I began to take photos again.”
Freeman goes through the ones she wants to keep — uses the photo application to edit — makes them a little clearer, brighter — whatever they need. She’s found a couple of things she can do to cut and paste — through Adobe, she explained.
“Early on, I started adding painted backgrounds. I took a poured painting class at the Caribbean Museum Center for the Arts. I thought my turtles would look cool in the painted background; it was very cool. Yet, I really didn’t think I had any artistic talent.”
“I love it! I love it! When I first started doing it, it was hundreds of hours creating these collages. I wanted each one to be exactly the way I wanted. So, most of them took hours, finding the right photo, and getting the composition so it agreed with my eyes. I love doing it. I got so totally absorbed by it. It’s what I did for six months. I couldn’t put it down.”
Sometimes, Freeman swims with friends, and they’ll be tolerant as she stops to take a photo, but she usually finds it easier to go out on her own and not slow people down. Her photos are taken mostly from the Frederiksted Pier and the west end beaches. Some are taken around Green Cay or Prune Bay out east, she said.
“I want to raise awareness in people about how beautiful the life-forms are underwater and how quickly we’re losing them. It’s sad. The deterioration I see from year to year is heartbreaking,” Freeman said.
As the water became warmer and warmer, Freeman watched the slow bleaching of things. She didn’t want to get in the water for a while. It was hard to see, she said. It was disturbing for her.
“They were dying. For a long time I’ve seen brain coral bleached pretty badly. When the sea is too warm, corals will expel the algae that supports the coral and gives it its color. This is called bleaching and coral often cannot survive it, especially with the sea getting warmer and staying warmer longer.”
Does Freeman recommend underwater photography? “I don’t think it’s for anybody … everybody. If you’re comfortable in the water, it’s a great thing to do. I would definitely encourage people to put on a mask and snorkel and see what’s out there. It’s incredible. I would love to eventually do photos while scuba diving. I can just sit in one place and not have to resurface for air.”
Freeman mentioned her fascination with the various groups on the island who are trying to combat the effects of climate change and the disease that it has brought in the ocean.
“Getting ready for my first exhibit has had my attention for a few months, so I haven’t been taking any new photos … I realize … I’m really missing this. Everything in its time!”
Digital sea-inspired collages by Robin Freeman are also at Eden South on Company Street in downtown Christiansted and at Polly’s at the Pier on Strand St. in downtown Frederiksted.
For more information:
joyiajewelry.com
Joyia Inspirational Jewelry, 340-713-4569
