Painting has been a lifelong passion for Robert J. Barber, and he paints as faithfully to life as he possibly can. He is fascinated with why things appear the way they do, and this inspires him to paint realistically. At the same time, our world is an active and continually changing place, and Robert seeks to reflect this sensation by also painting with energy and movement.
“For me, painting is such a natural response to the world around us. I am enthralled by all of nature's elements, just as they are. I feel that I am here to learn from nature, to study and to enjoy all of its subtleties and rhythms as much as possible. It is such a pleasure to stand around and worry about whether one color is darker, warmer, cooler, or more intense than another, as a part of understanding why something looks the way that it does. It is a wonderful way to connect with a time and a place.”
In 1981 Robert earned a bachelor's degree in Studio Art from the University of California at Santa Barbara, and in 1984 he earned a second bachelor's degree in Fine Arts at the Art Center College of Design. During school and after, het studied with nationally recognized painters Dan McCaw, Craig Nelson, and Ken Auster. Robert freelanced as an illustrator for twenty years, and several of his paintings are on display in Natural History Museums.
Robert is a member of Oil Painters of America, the Mid Atlantic Plein Air Painters Association, and the Washington Society of Landscape Painters. He is winner of a number of awards, including the Best in Show and People's Choice at MAPAPA's “Paint Annapolis” exhibitions. He has been juried into the “Arts for the Parks” Top 100 and Mini 100 exhibitions sponsored by the National Parks Academy for the Arts, and he the Oil Painters of America national exhibition.
