Robert Gunn

Painting with oils in his own natural style, Robert is often likened to Norman Rockwell even though he has never tried to emulate the artist. In fact, his influences go back to the earlier greats of American illustration such as NC Wyeth, JC Leyendecker and Howard Pyle. After training at the Art Center in Pasadena, California, Robert’s award-laden career began working in-house for advertising agencies before taking flight to become one of America’s most respected freelance illustrators.

Approach

Good design forms the foundations of a great image, and Robert follows old school techniques – lots of research, detailed sketching, planning the composition, then painting from reference materials or photos of live models. He uses as many different colours as possible, without letting any one of them become too overpowering.

Style

Robert paints in the Americana genre. However, while his painterly realism evokes a bygone era he is flexible enough to render any subject matter whether classic or contemporary.

Awards

1975 – The Saturday Evening Post National Cover Award 1996 – Society of Illustrators Award of Merit 2008 – Paint America Paint the Parks Competition – First Place 2010 – Paint America Mini Top 50 – Hugh Greer Jury Award

Client list

Robert has an extensive client list that includes Franklin Mint, Simon & Schuster, The Saturday Evening Post, IBM, Metropolitan Life, Ralston Purina, McDonald’s, Coca-Cola, American Airlines, Nabisco and more.