Robert Abele was born in Bronxville, NY in 1969. Robert’s work reflects
his lifelong commitment to art and his desire to express himself through
drawing which began at an early age. Some of his earliest memories are of drawing the creatures and objects he would find while playing in the tidal pools of the
Connecticut shoreline.

While his landscapes of solitary New England farmhouses and remote
winding roads seem at first like simple location studies, he believes that seemingly innocuous objects such as telephone cables and signposts are emblems of great
significance, symbolic of modern American life and in fact represent a
roadmap of all his previous experiences. Rob works mostly on location and is
forced to deal with the exigencies of moving light; however he has come to view
this as an opportunity to express what the painter Edwin Dickinson calls “Premier
Coup”, that being a seemingly abstract landscape done in the first rush of
inspiration and creativity.

After receiving his B.F.A. from the School of Visual Arts in New York, he
continued his formal education by regularly attending classes at the Art
Students’ League and the Society of Illustrators, he put these lessons to use
working as a figure drawing instructor at Studio 225 in SoHo while still attending
school.

Robert always states that the importance of attending art school in
Manhattan can’t be overestimated, as his exposure to the many museums and galleries of the city greatly enriched the learning experiences and input of his early
art training. Painters that made a strong impression on him include Bellows,
Sloan and the Ashcan School who made the Manhattan of the early 20th century
their muse. He also cites the more naturalist influences of ancient Chinese
landscapes and people like Gustav Courbet as well. Latter influences on his
aesthetic include Edwin Dickinson and Walter Anderson.

Mr. Abele’s paintings and illustrations have appeared in a large number
of publications, including the N.Y. Times, the Washington Post and Curio
Magazine, where he was additionally employed as the art director. He has also won accolades and awards in competitions that he has entered. Some of these include the Page-Taft award for Excellence in Painting, Evergreen Fine Crafts Award and 1st place in the statewide Connecticut Currents Art Competition sponsored by the Guilford Art League.

His work has been purchased by many fine art collectors and his paintings
are currently held in over 100 private collections, including those of Bill
Gallo of the N.Y. Daily News and the actor Peter Coyote. His last two exhibits
of New England villages, shorelines and seascapes were extremely well
received and led to his being interviewed in local publications in Westchester and
Connecticut.

Robert recently began a new experiment in his professional art life by
opening a small gallery within the stationery store that he manages for his
father. While he no longer exhibits his own work there, he has truly come to enjoy
exposing his customers to emerging artists in a friendly environment whom
otherwise might not be given the opportunity to exhibit their work.

Robert’s dedication to his craft is unceasing and he never misses the
opportunity to explore new influences, whether it is adding to his burgeoning
reference library, haunting the museums downtown or drawing passersby in one of
his ever present sketchpads, which he never fails to bring along when he leaves
the house.