Rob studied illustration at Swindon College and at Kingston-on-Thames School of Art. He lived in London until 2005, but was increasingly drawn towards the sea, so settled in Cornwall to paint full-time. Since doing so, he has developed a distinctive style in which the contrasting influences of his favourite painters, Johannes Vermeer and Edward Hopper, are clearly evident. His still lifes have a dark intensity and richness in the Dutch tradition, and yet his landscapes and figures draw upon the surreal and polished style of Hopper. Despite his relatively new career as a full-time painter, Rob’s reputation as a fine artist of real dedication and technical ability has grown apace.

Rob works in a classical technique using the translucency of acrylic paint, over a pencil drawing and monochrome underpainting on gessoed board, to build up tonal depth through multiple glazes of colour.

A distinctive painter of eerily timeless images, Rob’s paintings are at once vintage artefacts and contemporary artworks. The technical facility he owes to a training in illustration, it is a sad fact that if he had enrolled on a fine art course in one of our major art schools in the last 40 years, he wouldn’t have learned to paint like this.