Art Mediums: Drawing, Collage, Printmaking, Painting, Sculpture, Animation, Drums

roberthardgrave.com

Born in Oxnard, California, Robert Hardgrave has made a significant contribution to visual arts in the Pacific Northwest for the past 30 years. Robert was a finalist for the 2014 and 2016 Cornish College of the Arts Neddy Award in Painting and nominee for the 2014 Portland Art Museum’s Contemporary Northwest Arts Awards. Hardgrave has exhibited in numerous solo and group shows in Seattle, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Denver, Chicago, New York, Madrid, and Copenhagen. Locally, Robert is a member of the Duwamish River Residency, and his work is part of the permanent collections of Microsoft, Starbucks, King County and the Achenbach Foundation for Graphic Arts. In 2019, Robert completed a commission for the Washington State Convention Center which will be installed in June 2022. 

“How can one live without responding to one’s environment? Yes, I am influenced by world events, but walking around the city is a more visceral experience. I prefer not to hit folks over the head with my opinion but rather to express myself through mystery and sensation.”

“I never think of the audience when I am working. The result of my output, for me, is akin to interpreting a dream. Sensation is what I am after. I prefer making work that takes you inside yourself to find its importance.”

“19 years ago I received a kidney transplant, which was immediately followed by a bout with lymphoma. I was gifted the realization that life is short. I made the commitment at that point in time to making artwork my lifetime goal.”