Robert first began experimenting with applying fire to augment and enrich his abstract paintings during his years living in Bisbee, Arizona. It was earlier during this period he had acquired skills as a stonecutter and silversmith, enhancing his silver pendants, rings, and earrings by setting semi-precious gemstones, such as malachite, azurite, variscite, and of course the gem quality “Bisbee Blue” turquoise he had cut, shaped, and polished himself. Then subsequently upon returning to the Eastcoast, he transitioned into designing sculptured jewelry for women, where his metalwork appeared in several prominent stores throughout the country, including Saks 5th Ave and Bergdorf Goodman, as well as Harper’s Bazaar and Vogue magazines. Some years later after returning to Tucson, Robert earned a MA in English, Linguistics, and Languages from the University of Arizona; he currently resides in Tucson.
commentary from a 2015 interview: "painting with fire"
“It was Peter Young and Jon Friedman who first turned me onto Yves Klein sometime in the 70's when we were living in Bisbee, a mining town turned art colony, located five miles from the border of Mexico in southeastern Arizona.
And I was floored: especially when I learned that Klein had used a flamethrower to burn his paintings while members of the Paris fire dept stood by with hoses and axes (there are photos documenting this event). I later saw a Klein retrospective at the Guggenheim in NYC.
But I never could ascertain just what Klein's process was, and so, as a silversmith, accomplished using a torch to solder, I decided to "stretch out" and began to experiment making my own “fire paintings”.
I wanted to work in oils at that time and knew practically nothing about the medium (painter friends called me a “naive painter”, which I have always understood was something they believed was to my advantage). Yet eventually, after playing with smaller bits of canvas, I decided to lug this huge piece of plywood that sat abandoned in my neighbor's backyard into my studio, stretched/stapled canvas onto it, and painted away, choosing mostly "sunset" reds and oranges and whatever other related colors I had.
Then I began pouring or splattering turpentine (I used it to clean brushes) onto areas of this long (12 foot) canvas and lighting them with the torch:
Rivers of Fire!!!
Sometimes I'd "direct" the flow, times I would allow it to meander. I also began applying thick clomps of pigment, plaster, and gesso onto areas of the canvas (then later on other pieces), and then apply flames.
And this was intriguing as well, rendering by breaking down the oil paint while figuring out what effects worked and compensating for what didn't. And learning about process!
This is how my fire paintings were born and evolved over the years."