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32 yogi times april 2005
the house of alchemy
by sava alcantara
photography by jasper johal
the home and studio of multimedia artist robert sturman
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april 2005 yogi times 33
From the moment I approach the vivid poppy orange-painted house,
stepping on flattened stones that lead through lush grass to his front
door, I found multimedia artist Robert Sturman’s home to be a medita-
tion manifest. My Asian upbringing prompts me to remove my shoes at
the door before entering, and after warmly greeting me and seeing me
unshod, Robert graciously removes his boots, hands together in anjali
mudra, the universal gesture of an Oriental greeting, and welcomes me
into his home.
“Welcome to the house of alchemy” he says at one point. Robert’s
home and studio offer a visitor a feast for the senses: the smooth wood
floors underfoot, the enormous chocolate brown bass the size of grizzly
bear in his kitchen, a beautifully intricate mosaic tile table. Outside on
a handsome wood deck a vase with a pair of cala lillies beckons, as does
a second filled with blood red roses, inviting us to sit under a tree with
Angels’ Trumpets swaying in a soft breeze.
But wait, what’s the story with the standing bass? Robert explains it
was brought by Neil Portnow, president of the Recording Academy/
Grammy’s, who had spent the entire morning that day posing for his
portrait. “Isn’t it amazing?” he says, acknowledging my awe. “It’s like
a woman!” Everywhere I turn there is artwork of some kind that has
been created by Robert or fellow artist friends, each with a palpable
presence and a story, much like the bass—each impossible to ignore.
Nearby is a new portrait of Neil that shows him with the bass, as if
partnered to this imposing instrument, and at his feet, a brown- and
black-spotted Beagle. Does this musician also have a beagle just like
Poncho, Robert’s animal companion who quietly moves from room to
room with us? No, it is Poncho in the portrait, Robert explains, because
he insisted in staying in the frame when the photo was shot.
Nearby is a large framed picture of three Tibetan monks in their crim-
son and saffron colored robes, walking in a row, much like the Beatles
crossing the street on Abbey Road, only this time, the monks pass an
ornate temple in Kathmandu. Next to this portrait is one called “Seven
Monks” that is easily my favorite: seven young men in robes the color
of peach sherbet in Northern Laos newly shorn of hair and eyebrows,
sit with eyes closed. It is their deep silence and serenity that comforts
me.
A mixed multimedia artist, Robert apprenticed for two years with
William Giles, a master photographer based in Carmel, and also with
John Torina, an Italian painter at the Memphis College of Art. Other
significant influences include Chagall, Picasso, and Van Gogh, along-
side photographic masters such as Minor White and Alfred Steiglitz as
well as Osho, a painter, poet, and mystic have all been instrumental in
bridging Robert’s Eastern beliefs with the demands of Western com-
mercialism.
Robert’s work for the last few years has combined elements of both
photography and painting, two mediums that he has spent years work-
ing with. Beginning with instant Polaroid film, he captures his subject
and before the image has set, he uses various tools to alter the photo
so that the end result often has painterly effects as if a mermaid—or in
this case, maybe Neptune had taken brush to canvas and allowed the
work to solidify underwater.
If Gauguin lived today, he would feel at home in Robert’s space: from
the rich, saturated orange exterior, the robin-egg blue duvet in the bed-
room and the gaily-colored tiled water fountain outside, the quiet work
studio painted in olive green, this is a sanctuary where the creative
process can be nurtured.
The 1600-square-foot house was built in 1938 and in the five years he
has lived there, Robert says it has been a work in progress, an evolu-
tion, affected by the people he meets and his own personal growth and
artistic development.
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34 yogi times april 2005

“I see it as a living piece of art that is sculpted by me, the people that
come into my life, and my evolution,” he writes, in reply to several
questions I e-mail him after spending time at his home. “There are
installations by a glass blower, a ceramicist, painters, a mosaicist–all
my creative colleagues.”
Asked about the brilliant hue of his home, Robert says it is a sign that
he was ready to go public with his work and a desire to not be an artist
“who paints pretty pictures” hidden away in obscurity. After cultivating
his creative vision for so many years, to be chosen as the artist at this
year’s Grammy Awards was a grand entrance into the public eye.
“I wanted warmth because I knew it was time to come to the market-
place, to truly participate in life after being in the cave and traveling for
so many years and nurturing my vision, it was time to come out into
public: so I painted my house orange.”
San Francisco, New Orleans, La Habana, Mazatlan, Pune, Mandalay,
Laos, Kathmandu, Paris, Copenhagen and Krakow are all captured in
his work. In one portrait, the ageless silence seen in the red robe of a
Burmese monk holding a red umbrella over his left shoulder is clearly
echoed in the hot fuscia pink suit of the black Jazz musician with a
guitar slung over his left shoulder. This image was chosen as the official
image for the 47th Annual Grammy Awards, gracing the program
cover and the promotional poster, demonstrating Robert’s unique
artistic approach to millions of people.
“I’m delighted that my work is being recognized in such a mainstream
way,” explains Robert, “since I’m not a very mainstream kind of person.
My art comes from a spiritual place inside me and I enjoy the fact
that so many people from all kinds of different backgrounds are being
exposed to it. I feel like I have had the unique opportunity to integrate
a little piece of my spirit into our society through my art and that’s
extremely satisfying. I like the idea that I have been able to bring some
beauty into people’s lives with this image.”
Not comfortable being associated with any particular religion, Robert
believes that we can be deeply spiritual without subscribing to any
particular religious tradition or dogma. Identifying most deeply with
the Buddha, Robert says the values of the Buddha have informed his
life, artistic vision and how he has shaped his home.
“My work is clear and honest. That is the nature of the Buddha. My
home is designed with simplicity as a foundation. It is a creative space
designed for hard work and quiet contemplation, which go hand in
hand.”
This is more apparent to me outside: two deck chairs invite guests to
lounge in the soft sunlight, and the bamboo garden is easily a place to
dream: it abuts an outdoor shower. The studio is painted Spanish olive
and filled with his work. The door is open and once seated inside, the
edges blur between outside/inside and the scent of the grass and wood
deck linger in the air.
Explaining why he chose such a contrast in colors for the exterior of
the house and work studio, Robert said his choices were influenced by
the colors he saw from traveling the world but it was also a conscious
choice to ground his creative fire.
“I chose orange when I returned from Laos because I loved the color
of the orange robes of the monks. I chose a deep alizarin crimson for
some of the woodwork because of the monks of Mandalay.
“I was searching for a way to create more energy in me because I knew
the time had arrived for me to make an entrance into the marketplace.
I needed vitality, uncompromising energy, so I started with the color of
my home. Then I chose Spanish olive for the studio because it is peace-
ful and it cools down the space, brings it back to the Earth.
The sun is lower now. Poncho has been fed his evening meal and
there is a noticeable chill in the air. Robert ends with telling me what
sounds like a personal mission statement as an artist and a person who
identifies with the Buddha. “I wanted to create something enchant-
ing for myself. The goal is to not go anywhere. I have always been an
international artist. The idea is to be here now, to bring the mystical to
the mundane.”
With that, I gather my things and after thanking my host for this tour,
make my way to my car, turning back to look at this orange house of
Alchemy.
Learn more about Robert Sturman at www.RobertSturmanStudio.com
Sava Alcantara is a freelance writer and yoga teacher based in Los Angeles.