Robert Byrne
Robert Byrne is a Western artist who lives and works in the Calgary area. He graduated in Advertising Art from what was then the Alberta College of Art. He worked for ten years as a commercial artist in studios and advertising agencies in Vancouver, Edmonton and Calgary, with time also spent in Mumbai, India. While working as a freelance commercial artist in Calgary, he also took time to study watercolour painting with Keith Thomas, and oil painting with Stanford Perrott. He visited Europe, studying the Old Masters first-hand in the major museums and galleries. A one-year sabbatical taken to concentrate on landscape painting – during which he produced 70 paintings – led to his work being sold through Canadiana House Art Gallery, Calgary. In 1989, he retired from commercial art to pursue painting full-time, specializing in the rustic buildings and wilderness landscapes of Western Canada; wildlife painting; the life of the cowboy; and commissioned portraits.
He paints mostly in oils and graphite, with some works in watercolours and pastels. His work is influenced by his enthusiasm for plein-air painting, as he explores the colour and light of Western Canada.
Byrne’s works have been bought by Hudson’s Bay Gas and Oil Company (Calgary), and private collectors from the United States, France, Japan, Thailand, Australia and England. His paintings have been shown through several galleries in BC and Alberta, and have also been featured at the Calgary Stampede Art Auction.
He paints mostly in oils and graphite, with some works in watercolours and pastels. His work is influenced by his enthusiasm for plein-air painting, as he explores the colour and light of Western Canada.
Byrne’s works have been bought by Hudson’s Bay Gas and Oil Company (Calgary), and private collectors from the United States, France, Japan, Thailand, Australia and England. His paintings have been shown through several galleries in BC and Alberta, and have also been featured at the Calgary Stampede Art Auction.