Collaborating with the potter Errol Barnes in the 1990s, William Robinson found an outlet for his strong decorative sensibility in decorating ceramics. His trademark use of multiple viewpoints is especially well-suited to these three-dimensional forms.

Forest encounter depicts William and his wife Shirley in a rainforest pool. Robinson's shifting viewpoint allows one's eye to travel around the outside of the vase while maintaining a sense of pictorial cohesion.