|
|
 |
|
|
 I've had a lifelong interest
in art, music and architecture, and attended Lafayette College in the
liberal arts program. I have held memberships in various artist groups in the northern Virginia area, and have had my works on display there
and at other venues, and in collections around the country and the
world. I started painting in watercolor in 1985, whiole working
as a software developer in the Northern Virginia area, where I grew
up.
I am constantly
searching for unique ways to express a personal vision in each of my
works. Over the years, I have developed a style that is sometimes
traditional, and sometimes not so traditional, but the results are
always interesting. For example, I have developed a technique of
combining watercolor with wax resist to create texture. The wax layer
works to 'decompose' the image in a way that creates a suggestion of
detail, rather than a strict copy of the subject. This encourages the
viewer's imagination to become more fully engaged.
With my background in software
development, it was natural for me to discover that digital
photography and computers are useful modern tools which can suggest new
ways of presenting a traditional subject. Otherwise, my inspiration is old fashioned:
|
|
"The
subject must move me in some way, i.e., how the light reveals a
pattern, or a feeling that's evoked by being in its presence, or simply
its beauty or symbolism. It may come from a feeling of respect and
admiration for the subject. It may possess an interesting color scheme,
subtle or strong, or an unusual use of combined imagery or geometry." |
"Queen of the Tulips" watercolor/digital |
I am currently working on a book that details some of these techniques, and of my approach to painting in general. In addition to watercolor, I owrk in other media including acrylic, pastel, oil, and colored
pencil. The subject often suggests an appropriate media in which to best express the mood or feeling of the work.
I have found my work being increasingly accepted into juried art shows, and receiving more acclaim for those works.
2006: People's Choice award at the first annual
Riverbend Plein air paint out at Riverbend Park on the Potomac river,
where 25 local and nationally recognized artists competed for prizes.
Subsequently elected president of the new Riverbend Artists Group.
Since 2007, Rob has been teaching watercolor landscape painting and drawing at Riverbend Park and other historic properties in Fairfax County.
2009: George Dumas master patron award for his work "Fallen Giant" at the Vienna Arts Society 40th anniversary Treasury of Art Show, and subsequently the Winsor and Newton Painting Award for the same work.
For more information, contact Rob at: rnevitte@verizon.net
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
