#062 - Today we talk to Charmeng Robinson, a local artist who creates handcrafted original pieces that connect with nature.  Charmeng’s pieces include acrylic paintings on canvas, timekeeper, clocks, handcrafted jewelry, coaster, dominoes, and more.

Though her late father painted, Charmeng did not take it up until 2020.  She taught herself via online tutorials and then lots of practice.

“I started taking some tutorials on Facebook and I met a young lady that was doing the painting. I was just admiring it and was like, ooh, I could do some of that for my family friends. And that was as far as my brain took it at that time. So I started taking notes on what to do, how to learn, how to mix the paint.”

At the beginning, Charmeng was uncomfortable calling herself an artist, but she gained confidence after her cousin displayed her art in his San Francisco barber shop, Gifted Crowns, and she started having success at pop-ups.

That led to several commissions including Sweet Fingers Jamaican restaurant in Oakland, the Oakland Roots, and becoming the sole vendor at the new Lululemon store in downtown Oakland.

Stick around til the end to hear about how Charmeng got hooked up with the Oakland Roots.