Hello

I’ve been a professional artist with my own studio/gallery for over 22 years even though I’ve been shooting photographs for well over 30 years. But my life hasn’t always been about painting, drawing, and photography. For the previous 18 years, I helped build and then become part owner of an advertising agency. It was satisfying work at some level and I loved the people I worked with, but there was always this creative part of my soul that wanted to come out. Like most of us, I was scared to risk what I had for a chance at what I really wanted to do with my life until two, relatively coincidental opportunities, presented themselves to me.

The first was a chance to sell my interest in the business. The second was to take my budding drawing skills and apply them to oil portrait painting under the guidance of a Russian master painter, Leonid Gervits. I held my nose, jumped into the deep end of the pool, found out I could swim well enough not to drown, and I’ve never looked back.

So what have I learned - what have I done?

I’ve learned that art is scary, rewarding, an adventure, and always a journey to some other new level of creativity. I’ve photographed weddings in vineyards, on Hawaiian beaches, and in ancient churches in Italy. I’ve documented charity golf tournaments for professional golfer Ben Crane. I’ve done pencil portraits of kids, parents, grandparents, you name it and most importantly upwards of a hundred oil portraits. And I’ve been teaching annual workshops on oil portrait painting for the last 15 years. Finally, I’ve learned to print large scale photographs on my studio printer and then have them framed in the frame shop that I created.

Wow! When I see it in print, it’s really been almost 25 years of reaching out to learn and stretch my creativity in every new avenue that I could find. It’s been a wild and demanding ride, and I’ve loved every minute of it.

What keeps the artistic juices flowing the most is my portrait work. I live for the challenge of capturing a person’s likeness in the centuries old style of portrait painting, and I am always looking to create the truest representation of the subject and let their personality speak out from the canvas. I will never leave a project until I am proud of the work and the client is happy with their portrait. Delighting them and exceeding the expected is what brings me the most joy and keeps my clients coming back.

My studio in Vancouver, Washington, serves as a showcase for my work, is a working space for both painting and studio photography, is a classroom for private instruction and classes, and is also a framing workshop.

My year often encounters special projects. Keep an eye on the art gallery section of this website for photos and discussion on everything from what this year's Santa will look like to a recent wedding shoot in Italy or even a step-by-step look at a current painting in progress.

If you are in the Portland/Vancouver area feel free to stop by the studio and see what's happening for yourself. Visitors are always welcome.  I love to show and tell about my current and completed projects.

Please explore the website and email your comments and questions.  It is all a work of art in progress.

Robin Damore