James I. Robb (born 1933) is a Canadian artist known for his paintings celebrating the life, culture and history of the
Yukon
Yukon () is a Provinces and territories of Canada, territory of Canada, bordering British Columbia to the south, the Northwest Territories to the east, the Beaufort Sea to the north, and the U.S. state of Alaska to the west. It is Canada’s we ...
.
Early life
Robb was born in 1933 in
Quebec City
Quebec City is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Quebec. As of July 2021, the city had a population of 549,459, and the Census Metropolitan Area (including surrounding communities) had a populati ...
,
Quebec
Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...
, and moved to
Montreal
Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...
with his family when he was six years’ old. In 1955, Robb moved to the
Yukon
Yukon () is a Provinces and territories of Canada, territory of Canada, bordering British Columbia to the south, the Northwest Territories to the east, the Beaufort Sea to the north, and the U.S. state of Alaska to the west. It is Canada’s we ...
, and currently resides in
Whitehorse. Robb worked various jobs in the Yukon until eventually taking up painting.
Career
Robb began his artistic career working with
pastels and
charcoal on raw moose hide, eventually finding his way to
watercolour paintings and
photography
Photography is the visual arts, art, application, and practice of creating images by recording light, either electronically by means of an image sensor, or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film. It is empl ...
.
Robb attempts to capture the folklore of the Yukon in his paintings,
and is widely known for his rustic depictions of contemporary and historic Yukon landmarks and buildings. Robb’s artistic style, known as “
exaggerated truth”, takes inspiration from Yukon’s famous lopsided and leaning structures, particularly those found in
Dawson City,
which is exemplified by his 2015 painting, ''Kissing Buildings''. Robb’s work is widely featured in books, magazines and newspapers,
with originals of his watercolours selling for thousands of dollars (
CAD).
Robb is also the author of ''The Colourful Five Per Cent'', the first volume of which was published in 1984. Each softcover volume contains an assortment of unique photographs, sketches, paintings and essays, and tells the stories of the Yukon’s most extraordinary inhabitants.
Honours
Robb was awarded the
Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal in 2002, and appointed a
Member of the Order of Canada on October 30, 2003, in recognition of his artistic achievements.
In 2025, Robb was awarded the
King Charles III Coronation Medal.
See also
*
Joseph Tisiga (artist)
*
Shane Wilson (sculptor)
*
Ted Harrison (painter)
References
External links
Jim Robb CollectionLocal stories about Jim Robb
{{DEFAULTSORT:Robb, Jim
1933 births
Living people
Anglophone Quebec people
Artists from Quebec City
Artists from Yukon
Canadian male painters
People from Whitehorse
20th-century Canadian painters
21st-century Canadian painters
20th-century Canadian male artists
21st-century Canadian male artists