Robyn Davis is a retired counsellor and art therapist who transforms personal experience into visual inquiry. Living with chronic pain and mobility issues since childhood, she works intuitively with found imagery, then examines each piece phenomenologically to uncover its deeper meaning.

Her practice, which she calls “response collaging,” begins with emotional resonance. Then, searching through vintage books and magazines, she selects images that mirror her internal state – feelings she may not yet fully understand. “The art-making process helps me grasp my emotions and behaviours at a deeper level,” she explains. “It brings me into the present moment and helps soothe my body and soul.”

Whilst Robyn works primarily with found old books and magazines and works across many genres, she is particularly drawn to images of old dolls. Dolls with worn faces and well-loved and broken bodies – as symbolic self-portraits of her aging experience.

The doll holds particular resonance for Robyn. As a child, she spent hours with paper dolls, cutting out and animating figures. Psychologists suggest that through doll play, children discover the self and their societal roles. Robyn recognizes this same dynamic in her current work: she arranges old dolls to voice her inner world and reconcile herself with ageing. She’s also drawn to Freud’s concept of the “uncanny”- the unsettling uncertainty dolls can trigger. This mirrors her own vulnerability as an ageing woman whose hidden condition has become visible. “There is no hiding any longer,” she says.

Practice & Background
Robyn holds Masters degrees in Therapeutic Arts Practice and Counselling. She has trained in Internal Family Systems Therapy, SoulCollage®, meditation teaching, and body-centred modalities.

Robyn offers private collage inquiry sessions for those seeking personal meaning and inner peace.

Contact: robyndavis.email@gmail.comCounselling Canberra