Robert was first introduced to art when he was growing up in the small town of Kingston in upstate New York. When he was nine, his uncle Bill, a Manhattan painter, began speaking to him of painting while teaching Bob how to play chess. Robert admired his uncle, and these talks sparked his interest in art.
In his late teens, Robert began sketching from a model at an art gallery on Thursday nights in Woodstock, NY, not far from where he grew up.
Later he studied art at Ulster College, and attended summer classes at the Art Student's League of New York in Woodstock. There he studied life drawing under Franklin Alexander and further developed his drawing and composition skills.
Robert began working in batik (wax and dye on fabric), and later, silk painting while operating a gallery in Lake Placid, NY. While on a two-month trip to Europe and Asia, Robert bought his first set of pastels in Amsterdam, and began devoting much of his time to working in pastels.
He studied with Allen Flattman, and also spent six months studying with a well known Texas pastel painter, Ben Konis. Among the many things that Robert learned from Konis was a love for the pastel medium and the wonderful color obtained from pure pigment. Eventually, Robert switched his medium to acrylics on canvas, giving him the ability to work much larger. He continues to paint in acrylic on canvas today.
Robert eventually moved West to Santa Fe, New Mexico to live and paint among the Hispanic, Indian and cowboy cultures with adobe buildings, ranches and the high desert country. He has traveled through Europe, Asia, and parts of Central and South America, and he paints from all of his experiences. He has developed his style by taking from all his experiences, and the mediums that he has worked with. He uses bold color and strong composition to portray the landscapes, people and architecture around him. Robert reduces the scene to its most elemental and powerful components. Each painting vibrates with artistic energy and color, entertaining the eye and mind. He wants to start the story and allow the viewer to take part and finish it with his or her own experiences and emotions. Robert wants to create paintings that convey a bit of mystery and adventure, but also with a feeling of joy.
Robert resides in Santa Fe, NM. He also has a home and studio in Mexico.
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