Rob Summerlin was born in North Carolina and grew up in Savannah, Georgia. In 2012, he graduated from the Savannah College of Art and Design with a BFA in Painting, and in 2022 he earned an MFA in Visual Studies at the Pacific Northwest College of Art in Portland, Oregon.
Rob paints for the unpredictable. To foster unpredictability within his work, he begins each piece by painting as fast and as loosely as his body will allow. This animalistic approach dispenses with formulaic decision-making and lifeless uniformity, all while providing an entry point for intuition to guide the work. Beyond this phase, his adjustments are minimal. It’s that initial frenetic burst, when his connection to the scene is most raw, that determines a piece’s character.
Complicating this process, Rob chooses to paint en plein air. Working out of the back of his Subaru, he paints on location amongst nature, and in doing so he submits himself to a variety of uncontrollable conditions. But for all of the frustrations that may arise, it’s those uncontrollables that are responsible for producing the one of a kind moment he's trying to translate onto canvas. Never knowing what unique combination of factors may coalesce to form that specific moment in history makes each painting a series of discoveries, discoveries that deepen Rob’s relationship to the natural world and keep him coming back for more each day.