Robert DeVee
Robert Milton DeVee
04 Jun 1940 - 25 Jan 2017
Clubs & Associations
Foggy City Dancers
Redwood Rainbows
Obituary
Born: 1940 in Albany, California, Died in Bodega Bay, 2017
Medium: Acrylic painting, silkscreen, and oil monotypes
Bodega Bay artist Robert DeVee studied painting at the California College of Arts and Crafts, and at San Francisco State University. After working for ten years as a graphic artist at Grodin’s and Joseph Magnin, he took up art full-time in 1970. Robert’s work was mostly large-scale impressionist acrylic paintings on canvas. His themes ranged from gardens and still lifes to scenes from along the Sonoma Coast.
Robert DeVee was different from many other painters in his preference for mixing his own palette. Using only the three primary colors (red, blue and yellow) plus white, he blended those paints into a palette which consisted of as many as ninety to a hundred different colors. The process required an additional hour or two of preparation before he could begin painting, but resulted in a rich variety of colors best suited for that particular image.
After visiting Japan and learning of the contemporary print movement, he also began to do monotypes and serigraphs. Robert always used an impressionistic style, and utilized the special attributes of the print medium to create striking works that required as many as eighteen separate screens to produce the desired composition. The monotypes were done by painting with oil on glass, and then applying paper to the glass surface in order to transfer the paint. Some of his work evokes Japanese subject matter, while others seem to come straight from the French countryside. But in each work there is evidence of an artist who strove for vibrant and colorful images of joy and serenity.
Exhibitions:
San Francisco
Los Angeles
Dallas
Phoenix
Chicago
Bodega Bay
Collections:
City of Santa Rosa
Bank of America
Nini Martin
Hillsborough
Publications:
House and Garden
Sunset
Interior Design
Architectural Digest [1]
Remembrances
Robert was a very talented artist who specialized in large impressionist paintings as well as silkscreens and monoprints. He lived for many years in Sonoma County, first in Cazadero, and then Sebastopol. After he and Ren Brown got together in 1981, they eventually moved to Bodega Bay and opened The Ren Brown Collection art gallery in 1989.
As a young man Robert danced with the Oakland Civic Ballet and performed with Ronn Guidi who later became the Founding Artistic Directors of the Oakland Ballet. Then at age 40 he took up competitive dance roller skating. His coach for many years was Linda Galletta who became the Founding Director of the Sebastopol Center of the Arts.
Ren convinced Robert to join him in square dancing, first with the Foggy City Dancers in San Francisco, and then with the Redwood Rainbows. He loved dancing, but never really got the hang of square dancing, despite starting six or eight beginner's classes.
He will be remembered for his ready smile, his sweet disposition, and his joyous artwork, even if he couldn't succeed at square dancing.[2]
Memorial Panel
- 5LL | Foggy City Dancers
- 1LR | Redwood Rainbows
Photos
Robert DeVee (L) and Ren Brown (R), July 1989
Ren Brown (L) and Robert DeVee (R), 24 Nov 2011
