The artist Rita Robillard grew up in New York City and later spent time in California and Brazil. She’s made her home in the Pacific Northwest for decades now, first moving to Pullman, Washington in 1986. Since 1998 she’s lived in Portland, where she served as the chair of Portland State University’s art department.

All of these places have made an imprint on Robillard’s work.

She is a photographer, a painter, and a printmaker -- a visual artist who uses multiple media on individual works to convey a place’s history and ecology. She creates layers literally and figuratively.

A major retrospective of Robillard’s art is on display at the Hallie Ford Museum of Art in Salem through March 25. It features 54 works created during the last 40 years.

Robillard gave us a tour of the show, where she talked about her work and her life.