ARTISTS

Robert J.W. Arnold

I graduated with a BA in Fine Arts from The University of Western Ontario, London, ON in 1972, with a Birks Gold Medal , having studied under Tony Uhrquart and Duncan De Kergommeaux.

For 33 years I was a Fine Arts Conservator at Canadian Conservation Institute in Ottawa where I restored paintings and other art objects for many museums and galleries across the country. All the while I continued to paint and develop my style, laboring in obscurity except for one solo show and two group shows in Ottawa.

In 2007 I retired from the Public Service of Canada. That opened the opportunity to finally work full time at my art. A move to a new house in Ottawa has provided me finally with a proper professional studio space. I am now concentrating on creating new art and establishing venues for showing my work publicly, currently showing mainly through Arteast.

Landscape and the placement of human figures in a landscape setting have always played a significant role in the subject matter of my paintings. Often these subjects derive from places that I have visited and people that I have seen and which I then transform to create a new visual representation. This transformation involves the simplification of forms and the development of strong and sympathetic colour schemes.

I like to play with the stylistic elements – light, line, colour, shape and texture, often separating them and reassembling them as fragments within confined geometric spaces. In all of my works the development of strong colour and colour combinations that work well together is a prime objective.

Lately I have continued this interest by expanding into digital computer art images. By scanning preparatory drawings, templates etc. used in the creation of my paintings, as well as using my digital photographs, I am, by using the computer, able to create a wide variety of new compositions. These digital mixed media works can be printed in any size as “print on demand” limited editions on paper or canvas. The final composition is meant to stand alone, on its own, independent of realistic representation, but true to the two-dimensional plane, as a bold visual statement that engages the viewer.

website: www.robertarnoldart.com

E-mail: Bob@robertarnoldart.com