Robert Dodd at the Inn at Lynden

100 5th St, Lynden, WA 98264

April 11 – June 22, 2024

Born in New Zealand, I grew up with a good sense of natural beauty and landscape. In high school, my art teacher said I had talent. The encouragement never sank in then; it took me 50 years to consider the possibility. I loved sports, there was no time for art. Later, my career in engineering and architecture was a priority. I traveled the globe, keenly observing the world around me, especially unique buildings and places, and I began to sense a strong passion for painting. Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater was a highlight; Santorini, Greece made me dizzy for art; and living on the edge of the Salish Sea, with water, mountains and pastoral beauty, I have endless amounts of inspiration.

A few years ago, I discovered Urban Sketching and delved into it with all my heart; sketchbook, pencils and paints in hand. I loved sketching, I still do, but I soon realized that I needed to up my Fine Art skills, thinking that watercolor might be a good medium for me. It is, I love it!

Using my own photographs and field sketches from around the world and where I live, I paint Urban, Plein-Air and Industrial landscapes. I am largely self-taught with a mountain of instructional books, videos and materials, I have attended workshops and mentored with world-class artists, Thomas Schaller and Alvaro Castagnet. Within the constructs of intention, composition, shapes and value (my pillars) I try to create meaningful art with imagination and atmosphere. Graphite value studies and painting with a limited palette of transparent warm and cool complimentary colors are my keys to a successful painting.