Following a Foundation Degree at Loughborough College of Art and Design in 1976, Robert (b. 1956), graduated with a BA(Hons) Fine Art from Lanchester Polytechnic, Coventry, in 1979. Following a long career in Educational Technology, Robert returned to painting full time in 2023.
Rooted in Art History, yet decidedly contemporary, his beautifully calm still lifes are influenced by artists such as Morandi and Chardin.
In my work I try to achieve a kind of resonant stillness. Analysis and observation are central to my practice, but my paintings are reconstructions of reality rather than representations. To arrive at what to me is the essence of the subject I will change colours and tones, remove some details, or emphasise others.
Getting the right kind of light is a key element of my work. The forms and volumes of the subject are, after all, delineated by light, and I will spend a lot of time experimenting with the lighting of a subject until it corresponds to how I have visualised the composition.
The space within the work is important. I will move objects within the painting until I feel that the relationships between them are right, that there are the correct tensions and harmonies, pushes and pulls.
Robert works from his home studio in Coventry. He has exhibited in group shows in the UK including the RBA Annual Exhibition (2024), the ROI Annual Exhibition (2023), and the ING Discerning Eye (2021, 2024) all at The Mall Galleries, London.
His work is in collections worldwide
