Hanging Out

Posted by Christopher Robin | Sep 17, 2026 | Our Town Arts | 0

A buttery colored quilt was hanging in the sun. Doesn’t that make you want to curl right up, in fresh-as-sunshine, feeling like a hug? It’s like holding onto summer just a bit longer.

In Blowing Rock, NC, last year, I spied this vignette at Mountain Thread Co on Main Street. The colors, the sun, the hydrangeas all aligned, whispering to paint a soft and comfortable piece. I no longer have this painting, but I have such a warm hug memory.

Work in progress

I look forward to participating in the Blowing Rock Plein Air Festival again this year; there are plenty more stories to paint.

Here is a link to the event 2026 Blowing Rock Plein Air Festival — Blowing Rock Art & History Museum

Visit their studio and gallery in the Phoenix Building, 418 S. Gay St., to see more of their work, or explore their collection at www.ChristopherRobinArts.com. All works are copyright-protected.

Enjoyed this article and artwork? Read more Christopher Robin features on KnoxTNToday.

Follow KnoxTNToday on Facebook and Instagram and subscribe to our Free Newsletter to receive every new article in one convenient email.

About The Author

Christopher Robin

Husband and wife, Chris and Robin Rohwer, collectively under the pseudonym Christopher Robin Chris Rohwer: Photography is one more excuse for me to be outside. Whether traveling the world or in my own back yard, I look to capture interesting subjects with light, lines or action to give the viewer a sense of what I see and feel. Owning a camera dates to my college days but photography only became a serious effort within the last few years. Raised by adventuresome parents, my escapades include hitchhiking through Europe, trekking in Nepal and rafting the Grand Canyon. Adding a camera to my experiences has given me a new perspective of the places we visit. With nearly everything in the world being photographed, my goal is to find another way of seeing things and photographing them differently. Sometimes it works. Professionally my career was in finance with the last 25 years at Home Federal Bank as a commercial banker. Retiring in 2021, I work hard to stay active and on the move. Robin Rohwer: I am always a work in progress. I paint for me. The image speaks to me and needs to be painted. For me, painting is capturing a moment or a feeling in time and place. Preferring to paint on location, in a style known as Plein Air, it is my hope to transport the viewer to my spot, to feel the wind, the smells, and the light that drew me to stop and contemplate painting. Anything may be my subject, no matter how obscure and should convey the energy and mood of the moment. Strong shapes, subtle shifts, light and shadows chorus in my head and my heart to evoke feeling with the viewer - a memory, a love, a need, a calm or a question. When one sees my finished work, it’s a piece of me and a peace in me. I am blessed. Robin and Chris share a small studio and gallery in the Historic Phoenix Building at 418 South Gay Street where we meet the nicest people and share our craft. We have two beautiful daughters and now two wonderful grandsons.

Leave a reply Cancel reply

Feature Partners

Our Town Partners