Robert R. Williams
About the Artist
Robert R. Williams specializes in portraits in pastel and oil and is known for the realistic yet vibrant skin tones he achieves in his pastels. He has completed hundreds of charcoal portraits done on location at street fairs and art fairs throughout the mid-west and has completed many commissioned pastels and oils from his studio in the Box Factory for the Arts in St. Joseph, MI where he has been teaching portrait drawing and painting for the last 20 years.
He has also taught pastel workshops at the Buchanan Art Center at 17 West Front Street in Buchanan, Michigan (in 2006) and Studio Arts Center at 807 Lincoln Way West in South Bend, Indiana (in 2006). Besides teaching at the Box Factory, Robert also has taught portrait classes at the Studio Arts Center and the Southern Shores Art Association in Michigan City in charcoal, pastel, and oil.
Art Shows
Robert has exhibited in the following juried art fairs: The Krasl Art Fair on the Bluff in St. Joseph, Michigan 2004 trough 2013. The Children’s Art Festival at the Children’s Campus in Mishawaka, IN in 2004 and 2005. The Chesterton Art Fair in Chesterton, IN in 2005, The Leeper Park Art Fair in South Bend, IN in 2006 through 2014, the Celebrate Summer Arts Festival in Marion, Ohio in 2007 and in the Michigan City Lubeznik Lakefront Art Festival 2007 through 2014. On October 13 & 14 of 2007, he was a Guest Artist, exhibiting at the Symphony Center in LaPorte, Indiana during the LaPorte County Studio and Gallery Tour. He has also exhibited in several other local art fairs and art shows in the local area over the last 20 years. He previously has had One Man Art Shows at the Box Factory for the Arts in St. Joseph, the Cook Nuclear Plant in Bridgman, MI, The Scarlet Macaw in Sawyer, MI and Lake Michigan College in Benton Harbor, MI. He has been the featured artist at Studio Arts in South Bend, Indiana and the Black Box Gallery of Marion, Ohio.
Awards and Honors
He has recently won awards in the following juried shows: The Art Barn in Valparaiso, The Chesterton Women’s Club Show (once Best of Show), the Midwest Museum of American Art in Elkhart and The MAAC Show at the Box Factory for the Arts in St. Joseph, Michigan (Best Drawing - twice and Best Pastel - twice).
In 2008, Bob was honored by having the front gallery in the Box Factory for the Arts named for him in recognition of his vision and work to lead the Berrien Artist Guild as President to aquire and convert the Williams Brothers Box Factory building into the Box Factory for the Arts.
Body of Work-
Completed portrait commissions for many individuals in charcoal, pastel, and oils
Have produced hundreds of charcoal sketches from life at street fairs and other events.
Have donated a watercolor painting to the Berrien Artist Guild and the Benton Harbor Habitat for Humanity non profit organizations for use in a poster fund raising effort.
Completed two corporate murals (one in acrylic and one in mixed media- watercolor and pastel)
Have participated in chalk drawing on the street since 2002 at the Chalk the Block festival in St. Joseph, a promotional event at the University Park Mall in Mishawaka, Indiana in 2013, and the Hooked on Art fund raiser in Chesterton, Indiana in 2014.
Art Society Memberships:
Berrien Artist Guild, St. Joseph Valley Watercolor Society, Southern Shore Art Association, Northern Indiana Artists, Northern Indiana Pastel Society, Great Lakes Pastel Society and the Portrait Society of America.
He has recently won awards in the following juried shows: The Art Barn in Valparaiso, The Chesterton Women’s Club Show (once Best of Show), the Midwest Museum of American Art in Elkhart and The MAAC Show at the Box Factory for the Arts in St. Joseph, Michigan (Best Drawing - twice and Best Pastel - twice).
In 2008, Bob was honored by having the front gallery in the Box Factory for the Arts named for him in recognition of his vision and work to lead the Berrien Artist Guild as President to aquire and convert the Williams Brothers Box Factory building into the Box Factory for the Arts.
Body of Work-
Completed portrait commissions for many individuals in charcoal, pastel, and oils
Have produced hundreds of charcoal sketches from life at street fairs and other events.
Have donated a watercolor painting to the Berrien Artist Guild and the Benton Harbor Habitat for Humanity non profit organizations for use in a poster fund raising effort.
Completed two corporate murals (one in acrylic and one in mixed media- watercolor and pastel)
Have participated in chalk drawing on the street since 2002 at the Chalk the Block festival in St. Joseph, a promotional event at the University Park Mall in Mishawaka, Indiana in 2013, and the Hooked on Art fund raiser in Chesterton, Indiana in 2014.
Art Society Memberships:
Berrien Artist Guild, St. Joseph Valley Watercolor Society, Southern Shore Art Association, Northern Indiana Artists, Northern Indiana Pastel Society, Great Lakes Pastel Society and the Portrait Society of America.
Bio Info
Bob retired from Whirlpool Corporation in 2001, after nearly 25 years as an electronic engineer. After graduating from college in 1967, he was concerned with the science and math of designing radios, hi-fi stereos, juke boxes, electronic pianos and organs, microwave ovens, electric ovens, refrigerators, mixers, and clothes washers. After retiring, he became a business man and owned a RadioShack franchise for a short time. For the rest of his life, he intends to spend his time doing what he has always wanted to do, drawing and painting.
During early childhood, in a rural area on the Ohio-Pennsylvania border near Lake Erie, drawing became one of his favorite pastimes. In junior high school portraits became his favorite subject matter. He soon realized about the same time that he also liked math and science and that a career in engineering would probably be more financially secure.
Although he has no academic education in art (he has a BS is in electrical engineering from Cleveland State University), he studied portraiture from Mr. George Palmer of Buffalo, New York and has taken workshops or classes from Larry Blovitts, Phylis Rhoads, Joseph Fettingis, Robert Hoffman, Harry Ahn, Michael Shane Neal, Kerry Dunn, and numerous others.
While he continues to enjoy drawing and painting a variety of subject matter in colored pencil, water color, pen and ink, and charcoal he plans to devote most of his efforts to painting portraits in pastel and oil. Capturing his subjects in sculpture however, is his ultimate ambition and he has recently completed several head and figure sculptures in clay.
Additional Biographical Data
Born in Conneaut, Ohio 8/21/44
Education-
1962 – Academic/Scientific graduate of Northwestern High School in Albion, Pa.
1967 – BS Electrical Engineering from Cleveland State University
1968-71 – Graduate studies in Electrical Engineering at Rochester Institute of Tech. (no degree)
1972-76 – MBA classes at MSU branch in Benton Harbor (no degree)
1987-90 – Master of Engineering Management classes from National Technological University (no degree)
Art Education – no formal classes beyond ninth grade in school
Studied portraiture under George Palmer for over three years in Buffalo, N.Y.
Workshops taken from Larry Blovitts, Joseph Fettingis, Phyllis Rhoads, Robert Hoffman, Harry Ahn, Michael Shane Neal, Kerry Dunn, and others
Employment history-
1967- 1971 Sylvania Electric Products, Batavia, N.Y.
1972 (8 months) Whurlitzer, North Tonawanda, N.Y.
1972-1976 Heath Co., St. Joseph, MI
1976-1985 Whirlpool Corp., Marion, Ohio
1985-2001 Whirlpool Corp., Benton Harbor, MI
Personal:
Married to Carol with four children, seven grandchildren, and four great grandchildren.
Bob retired from Whirlpool Corporation in 2001, after nearly 25 years as an electronic engineer. After graduating from college in 1967, he was concerned with the science and math of designing radios, hi-fi stereos, juke boxes, electronic pianos and organs, microwave ovens, electric ovens, refrigerators, mixers, and clothes washers. After retiring, he became a business man and owned a RadioShack franchise for a short time. For the rest of his life, he intends to spend his time doing what he has always wanted to do, drawing and painting.
During early childhood, in a rural area on the Ohio-Pennsylvania border near Lake Erie, drawing became one of his favorite pastimes. In junior high school portraits became his favorite subject matter. He soon realized about the same time that he also liked math and science and that a career in engineering would probably be more financially secure.
Although he has no academic education in art (he has a BS is in electrical engineering from Cleveland State University), he studied portraiture from Mr. George Palmer of Buffalo, New York and has taken workshops or classes from Larry Blovitts, Phylis Rhoads, Joseph Fettingis, Robert Hoffman, Harry Ahn, Michael Shane Neal, Kerry Dunn, and numerous others.
While he continues to enjoy drawing and painting a variety of subject matter in colored pencil, water color, pen and ink, and charcoal he plans to devote most of his efforts to painting portraits in pastel and oil. Capturing his subjects in sculpture however, is his ultimate ambition and he has recently completed several head and figure sculptures in clay.
Additional Biographical Data
Born in Conneaut, Ohio 8/21/44
Education-
1962 – Academic/Scientific graduate of Northwestern High School in Albion, Pa.
1967 – BS Electrical Engineering from Cleveland State University
1968-71 – Graduate studies in Electrical Engineering at Rochester Institute of Tech. (no degree)
1972-76 – MBA classes at MSU branch in Benton Harbor (no degree)
1987-90 – Master of Engineering Management classes from National Technological University (no degree)
Art Education – no formal classes beyond ninth grade in school
Studied portraiture under George Palmer for over three years in Buffalo, N.Y.
Workshops taken from Larry Blovitts, Joseph Fettingis, Phyllis Rhoads, Robert Hoffman, Harry Ahn, Michael Shane Neal, Kerry Dunn, and others
Employment history-
1967- 1971 Sylvania Electric Products, Batavia, N.Y.
1972 (8 months) Whurlitzer, North Tonawanda, N.Y.
1972-1976 Heath Co., St. Joseph, MI
1976-1985 Whirlpool Corp., Marion, Ohio
1985-2001 Whirlpool Corp., Benton Harbor, MI
Personal:
Married to Carol with four children, seven grandchildren, and four great grandchildren.