SimoneBioPIcHiRes

Robert J. Simone

Robert J. Simone insists that good things happen when you paint. “As a late bloomer, who started taking classes when I was in my 40’s, I just kept my head down and kept painting. I’m still pinching myself over the good things that have come my way.”

Robert received the Grand Prize at Plein Air Easton 2024! Other awards include First Prize in the Quickpaint Competition at Olmsted Plein Air Invitational 2024, Best Landscape at National Oil and Acrylic Painters Society (NOAPS) Small Works Exhibition 2023 and Best Marine/Seascape at Oil Painters of America (OPA) Eastern Regional 2023. Robert is a Signature Member in OPA, NOAPS and American Society of Marine Artists (ASMA).

Gallery

Biography

Education:
Robert J. Simone acquired his education in fine art through independent workshops with Scott L. Christensen, Anthony Ryder, Clayton Beck III, Christopher Still, Stapleton Kearns, Mary Erickson and Larry Moore. He also studied drawing and painting on a non-degree seeking basis at Ohio University in Athens, Oh and University of South Florida in Tampa, Fl. He also holds a B.S.C.E. in Structures from the University of South Florida, Tampa Campus. Robert believes his engineering degree helped form the analytical side of his approach to painting.

Recent Awards
• Awarded Signature Member Status in Oil Painters of America (OPA)
• Grand Prize at Plein Air Easton 2024, Easton, MD
• First Prize in the Quickpaint Competition at Olmsted Plein Air Invitational
2024
• Best Marine/Seascape at Oil Painters of America (OPA) Eastern Regional 2023
• Best Landscape at National Oil and Acrylic Painters Society Best of America
Small Works Exhibition 2023
• Awarded Signature Member Status in National Oil and Acrylic Painters Society
2023
• Best Interior Plein Air Southwest, Galveston, TX 2023
• Award of Merit, Plein Air Southwest 2021, Galveston, TX
• Award of Merit, NOAPS “Best of America” Small Works 2021,
• Charleston, SC
• Award of Excellence, National Oil and Acrylic Painters Society (NOAPS)
International Juried Online Exhibition 2021
• 2nd Prize, NOAPS “Best of America” Small Works 2020, Annapolis, MD
• Best in Show, Plein Air Southwest 2019 Galveston, TX

Gallery Representation:
Robert Simone’s work is available through:
Finer Line Gallery, Mystic, CT,
Studio B Gallery, Easton, MD,
Our Place in Paradise, Islamorada, Florida.

Style:

Robert works in a painterly style that draws on the best characteristics of both realism and impressionism. The signature characteristics of this painterly realism are his manner of brushwork, variation in paint texture, a distinctly vibrant use of color and a stunning portrayal of light. Historic influences include the works of Emile Gruppe, Aldro Hibbard, Frederick Mulhaupt, Charles Movali, John F. Carlson, Edward Hopper, Sergei Bongart and Frederick Waugh.

Home Life:

Robert and his wife Penny were married in 1998. They share their 100-year-old American Four-Square style home in St. Petersburg, Florida. They own a 32 ft Ericsson Sailboat which they race often. And Robert has a vintage 1969 Boston Whaler Skiff which he uses for fishing, painting and gathering reference photos.

Professional Affiliations:
Simone is a signature member of National Oil and Acrylic Painters Society (NOAPS), The American Society of Marine Artists (ASMA), the Oil Painters of America (OPA) and the Outdoor Painter’s Society (OPS).

Artist Statement

For me, painting is a prolonged meditation on the beauty of creation. I find inspiration in the drama of light and shadow. I’m often drawn to marine and coastal scenery. But I find urban and industrial subjects compelling, too. Recurring themes in my work include the passage of time and the various ways human beings give shape and form to the environment.

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