About Robert

Although Bob has lived most of his life in Indiana, he was born in Washington State and grew up in North Dakota, Wisconsin, and Iowa.  As a young boy he loved the outdoors and spent much of his time outdoors in the countryside.   This contributed to his respect and appreciation of nature and wildlife.

It was in the second grade that Bob first realized he had a talent for art.  Bob made a pencil drawing of a duck and it really impressed his teacher, classmates and his parents.  Since that time he has always had an interest in someday being a professional artist. He started out working in pencil and them moved on to oil paints due to his interest in working with color.  He learned to paint by studying other artist’s work and mainly developing his talent on his own.

After working with oils for several years, he decided to give up his oil paints in favor of acrylics. This was due to their quick-drying characteristics and their versatility.   Occasionally he will create a pen and ink or an ink and watercolor sketch.

Through the years he has developed a preference for painting landscapes and wildlife. With his style of painting, getting the details right is important.  This can be a real challenge and that is one of the reasons you will find branches, dead leaves, feathers, a piece of fence and other reference material in his studio.

When he was 13 years old his parents took the family on a vacation to Washington State. They drove from Iowa to the west coast and stopped at several of the great tourist attractions in South Dakota, Wyoming and Montana. They even stayed a couple of days in Yellowstone National Park.  This trip made a lifelong impression on Bob.  He still has vivid memories of seeing grizzly bears and moose in their natural habitat while also experiencing the incredible mountains and scenery.

While he spent most of his career in the business world, he has painted throughout his life. It is only recently that he decided to become a full time professional landscape/wildlife artist.

Over the years he and his wife have been able to travel extensively throughout North America. Some of the places he has visited and photographed are Arizona, Alaska, Canada, Colorado, Wyoming, Maine, Florida and Hawaii. Their travels have allowed them to spend time in many of the national parks in North America.

This has given Bob the opportunity to take thousands of photographs that he uses for reference in his paintings.  It has also given him the chance to personally view wildlife in their natural environment.   Bob is quoted saying, “There is just no substitute for actually being there and experiencing the sights, sounds and smells of the outdoors. It tends to etch the memories in the mind. Often, while I am planning and working on a painting my thoughts will drift back to the time and place where I took the photo or photos I am working from.”

“I like to create images that will stimulate the feelings of a viewer. I try to capture a time, a place, an atmosphere or a particular feeling in my artwork. I know I don’t always succeed, but with God’s help I will continue to try.”