Robert Shields
Robert Shields: Artistry in (Constant) Motion
BY Stacey Gualandi
There is an old adage that says, “You should never meet your heroes” because if you meet them in real life, they will never live up to your expectations.
As a kid who grew up in the era of variety shows and watched endless hours of television, Shields and Yarnell was the biggest act in entertainment. They’ve been Hollywood heroes of mine ever since.
After interviewing Robert Shields recently about his decades-long career, that old adage couldn’t be more wrong.
Shields is now a prolific painter, sculptor, and jeweler, whose creativity with metal, giclée’s, and mixed media knows no bounds.
But long before the 71-year-old successfully set up shop outside Sedona, Arizona—an art studio-turned-funhouse filled with his fantastical handmade paintings, sculptures, metal pieces, and jewelry—Shields mesmerized millions (and me!) as a world-renowned mime.
“[Mimes] are usually actors, gymnasts, dancers, writers, and the most important thing, comedians,” says Shields. “I’ve never stopped being that. I do it all the time. I have over 400 masks in my house and am constantly performing.”
He famously became known for “The Robot” after legendary French mime Marcel Marceau first discovered Shields in his teens (and later Michael Jackson, who took his first moon-walking cues from Shields!)
“I started doing [the Robot] in 1967 when I worked at the Hollywood Wax Museum,” says Shields. “I could go for an hour without blinking. I would train my eyes. If they see you blink, they’d know you’re not real, so that’s how that started.”
He quickly transformed from a beloved San Francisco street performer who stopped traffic (and got arrested multiple times!) to one-half of the dynamic dance and mime duo Shields and Yarnell.
Together, they dominated the 1970s. They starred in their own television variety show; toured with celebrities like Bob Hope; won an Emmy and the “Las Vegas Entertainers of the Year” award two years in a row; and appeared on over 400 national television shows with everyone from Dean Martin to Carol Burnett.
The “silent” screen star never said a word, but his work always spoke for itself.
Since then, he’s continued expressing himself through his one-of-a-kind creations; yet the anything-but-robotic artist now has plenty to say.
Shields recently took a break at his Clarkdale, Arizona, studio to talk show pieces, show business, and everything in between.
CHIC COMPASS: You haven’t slowed down a bit!
ROBERT SHIELDS: I have a tremendous amount of energy. I mean, it’s like I’m very blessed with energy, and I’m still a 32 waist! I do yoga every day, and I eat right. Well, today, I had these Christmas cookies I needed. HA!
CHIC COMPASS: How long have you been making art?
ROBERT SHIELDS: I was a ceramicist in high school, and I was a teacher’s assistant. My love always was art first. I had my first showing at 15 in a major gallery. I was doing purple nudes with eyes coming out of them and weird [stuff] that was very advanced, then I started doing castles in 1969 when I graduated. Now I’m doing all kinds of different things. I create every day, and I’m very lucky that I am fortunate enough to make an incredible living selling my art. It’s magic!
CHIC COMPASS: What inspires you?
ROBERT SHIELDS: It’s symbolism. I’m looking at a painting I did that has a guy meditating. There’s a raven, and there’s a ladder going up, and there’s a peacock on the ladder, and there’s a window, and there’s a quail looking out the window. There’s a big eye that turns into a sun, and there’s an owl, and there’s a moon hanging by a string.
And there’s a cat that comes out of a jack in the box, and there’s a big cup of coffee, and then there’s a beautiful heart with all these rays coming out of it. And there are three hummingbirds with a heart around them, and there’s a guitar and an amplifier with music playing.
I love symbols and windows and ladders and animals and giraffes poking and at looking under things…goddesses and crosses and Stars of David and candles. Oh, dragons and teacups piled on top of each other with a guy holding an umbrella.
CHIC COMPASS: Do you have a favorite piece right now?
ROBERT SHIELDS: The suns are a new thing I’m doing. If you see them in person, they’re psychedelic man. They’re detailed, layered, and very dimensional.
CHIC COMPASS: Wow! Is there no end to your creativity?
ROBERT SHIELDS: No, there’s no containing it. I mean, if you walked into my house, it’s like I live in a magical wonderland. I have my own gallery, and I’m in about eight galleries now. I also have an online presence—www.robertshields.com—which offers free shipping. During Christmas, I shipped out 150 packages! Every one is handmade by me because I don’t have any employees. I used to have all that, and a big giant display at the Mirage [in Las Vegas], and I sold to all these hotels; I had my own show on QVC; I was a jewelry designer for years; I had five of my own galleries, my own restaurant and I wholesaled at 2,000 stores all over the world.…but then I decided to pull back and just do art shows, make stuff myself and just be simple. That became wildly successful for me.
CHIC COMPASS: Is there something that you haven’t accomplished yet?
ROBERT SHIELDS: No, I have no plans to do anything. I just live a kind of moment-by-moment existence, and I love doing art. I get orders every day from people who come over, and all these stores call me who love my artwork. My whole life was about achievement. It was this tour and that tour and going to Taiwan for 19 weeks. I played Vegas three or four times in all those hotels and had a contract with Caesars and Atlantic City.
CHIC COMPASS: How influential were you?
ROBERT SHIELDS: Before Cirque du Soleil, there was [Shields and Yarnell]. We influenced a lot of people, and that was really great. Show business is such a weird mistress. It’s incredible how it’s changed now…there are some people who are just absolutely brilliant, but there’s a lot of mediocrity.
CHIC COMPASS: Why did you leave “Hollywood”?
ROBERT SHIELDS: I was young and famous in Los Angeles and was invited to all the parties and hanging out with Jack Nicholson and all that… but I’m very sensitive. I started to really learn how to meditate. I was studying Zen and going to Japan a lot, and performing/writing pieces that were very introspective. I had to leave LA.
I went to Sedona back in ’86, and I never left. I’ve been [in Clarkdale] since 2013. I hang out with people, and they don’t care who I am or who I was, and I don’t care who they are. That show-business attitude is not around anywhere, and I just love living in a little hick town.
CHIC COMPASS: Is it better to have had the fame than never to have had it at all?
ROBERT SHIELDS: Once you’ve had it, you look at it and go, “Wow!” People don’t realize what an illusion it is. Fame is a bitch. It took me a long time to come off that ego trip. I was glad to have that for a while and to see the illusion of it because it’s really dangerous. It’s a very dangerous thing to be famous because it’s a gigantic responsibility.
CHIC COMPASS: What will be your legacy?
ROBERT SHIELDS: Happiness. I make people happy. My art makes people happy. I hear that a lot, and it makes me happy to make people happy. Coming up with “The Robot” was a groundbreaking thing for me. I got a scholarship with Marcel Marceau, and the whole robotic thing spawned off all these break dancers…
CHIC COMPASS: What has your career taught you?
ROBERT SHIELDS: I think the biggest thing is realizing I’m no different from anyone else. Everybody is an artist, and everybody has the same talent. The key is to work hard…and life is a long lesson in humility. As you get older, it’s important to realize that all that stuff is dust in the wind. The main thing is just being nice to people and being nice to yourself and not thinking that you’re anything but right here in the moment. That’s all that matters.
CHIC COMPASS: Thank you, Robert! You definitely exceeded my expectations!
To see Robert’s artwork, go to www.robertshields.com.
To see the trailer for his documentary “My Life as a Robot” coming soon, go to mylifeasarobot.com.