Biography of Robert M. Walker

I have been dabbling in art all my life. I worked in the field in my early adulthood, with a stint at Autry Brothers in Denver as a staff artist, and a short exposure in a stained glass window studio in Pasadena California. The need of raising a family, surviving to my current age, and eating, precluded the following of my dream. However, when I retired a few years ago, I picked up that dream where I had abandoned it forty years earlier.

Drawing, painting, and creating art have always been a way for me to express my thoughts, and ideas. I have found that I can communicate ideas better, using visual arts, rather than verbal expression. When I paint a portrait, I am able to depict the personality of a person through their expression, and the light in their eyes with a paintbrush much more accurately than I could ever describe it verbally or in writing.

Creating a work of art with my mind and hands, fills my creative urges, allows me to communicate with the world in a way that satisfies my sense of accomplishment, and at the same time allows me to record a portion of my life for posterity.

I continue to be amazed, and enthralled by the process of creating a three-dimensional image on a flat surface. The magic of creating depth, and dimension by applying the black and grays of graphite, or the colors of paint never ceases to heighten my senses. I have been creating works of art for many years, and have never tired of the creative process.

I now have a small gallery, “The Stonewall”, in Loudonville, Ohio where I create, and display my works in graphite, acrylics, and watercolors, with occasional ventures into pastels, oils, pen and ink, and colored pencils. Several private galleries around the country also represent my work.

I have recently become interested in the Western Tribes of Native Americans. The reference material for most of the portraits that I do of them comes from the National Archives. I work in Graphite, watercolor, pastels, and acrylics. I try to depict the strength of character that many of these people displayed. I try to bring out that strength by pulling that character from their eyes and their body language.

My work has been displayed, and taken awards at Creative Images in Mt. Vernon, Shremshrock Gallery in Columbus, The Ashland Center for the Arts, and The Coburn Gallery at Ashland University. My work is also included in several private collections, both here in the States, and abroad. Recently six of my Native American Portraits were purchased and will be appearing in Sean Penn's new film "Fair Game" that is scheduled to be released in November of 2010.